People across Chicagoland are looking for things to do outside the house as the holiday season arrives and temperatures continue to plummet. With limited outdoor activities available during the colder winter months, ice skating remains a timeless holiday activity, bringing families and friends together.
Now more than ever, it’s essential to maintain your health and safety when partaking in ice skating activities to avoid a trip to the hospital over a preventable cold weather accident. We’ve assembled our best ice skating safety guidelines to make adults and children feel safer while having fun on the ice this year.
Most Common Ice Skating Injuries
From the quads and calves in winter running to your hamstrings while snowboarding, every sport requires our bodies to use different muscles. It’s no different with ice skating, as much emphasis is on the ankle, knee, and hip joints.While many of the most common ice skating injuries are lower-body related, don’t neglect your neck and shoulders as tightness negatively impacts your balance, and awkward falling turns into more severe damage.
1. Knee Tendonitis
While ACL tears are uncommon in ice skating (not necessarily in hockey), knee tendonitis often strikes skaters after long-term sessions on the ice using improper movements.Knee tendonitis results from repetitive movements (and, in the case of ice skating, explosive movements) pushing the tissues too far or too fast until the strain causes pain throughout your knee.If you’re a figure skater, jumps cause tendonitis if you don’t stretch, ice, and care for your body post-session.
2. Hip Strains
Overuse, collisions, and falls are concerns no matter what sport you play, especially in ice skating, as they tend to lead to hip strains. Anytime you land hip first on the ice, you increase the likelihood of a hip injury.For figure skaters and hockey players, the more volume of skating leads to pulling and strain on your hip flexor muscles. The range of abduction necessary to produce explosive, fast skating causes cumulative damage over time to your hip muscles, eventually requiring extensive physical therapy or hip replacement surgery.
3. Concussion
Ice is dangerous, whether using it as the surface for a sport or just walking on the sidewalk. Compared to rollerbladers and in-line skaters, ice skaters sustain a more significant portion of head injuries and, more specifically, concussions.
Researchers believe that concussions are even more common than the data shows in part because skaters tend to fall and fall with their heads whipping back onto the ice but get back up because of their grueling training. One Olympic figure skater believes he has had 15-20 concussions in his career.Wearing a helmet is the best way to protect your head from an on-ice injury. If you fall and hit your head, take proper precautions to avoid further serious damage to your brain.
4. Rotator Cuff Tear
It’s instinct to reach out with your arms while falling, but the consequences of doing so on ice are even more high stakes. More often than not, rotator cuff injuries result from progressive wear and tear (i.e., repeated falls on ice), but even one singular rough placement can cause a rotator cuff injury.Daily stretching and strengthening exercises are the best way to avoid a rotator cuff injury. Another option is learning how to fall on ice by sprawling out as much as possible to spread the surface area.In the case of serious injury, shoulder surgery or non-invasive pain treatment options might be recommended.
Tips to Avoid Common Ice Skating Injuries
To avoid hurting yourself while ice skating, look at these tips before, during, and after your sessions.
Warm-Up
A simple warm-up prevents most exercise-related injuries. Even if you only plan to skate around an outdoor rink once or twice before enjoying the lights and hot chocolate, take time for a few leg stretches beforehand.Especially in cold weather, dynamic stretching with arm rotation swings or side lunges before strapping on the skates makes the difference between a rigid fall or warm muscles ready to participate in the activity.
Wear Fitted Skates and Secure Your Laces
Just as you wouldn’t wear sneakers that were a size too large or a size too small to go for a run, getting the right skates is also essential. Even when renting them.
Ice skates should be:
Fitted
Tied extra tightly for a secure fit
Supportive of the ankle
Ankles should not bow when skating. Try to keep your ankles as straight as possible.
In addition, consider wearing extra tall socks while skating. Fold the top of the sock over the laces to ensure the tight laces do not get caught on anything or untie accidentally. Socks should be warm and thick for extra padding. Inappropriate footwear is the cause of most falls. In addition, skates that are the wrong size help cause blisters, and skates that are too small might not have the space for warm socks, which can lead to discomfort or circulatory problems if outside below freezing for too long.
Check the Skate Blades
Especially if your skates are rentals, check that the blades are sharp and in good condition. Adults should be able to feel two distinct edges on ice skates to ensure they are sharp enough. Avoid running your hand down the blade lengthwise, as you could cut yourself.
Practice Falling Down
This may sound silly, but before skating off around other people, take a moment to see what falling feels like. Enacting the feeling of falling in a controlled way prevents you from falling on your wrist or hitting your head in case of a real slip.
When you lose your balance, cross your legs and try to sit down on the ice
Avoid putting your hands down, especially around other skaters
Try to land on your bottom, where you’ll have the best cushioning
Check the Ice Quality
Most ice rinks will periodically run over the ice to ensure that any extra patches are smoothed and ready for skates. It is very important to patch holes so skaters don’t trip.
You should advise the indoor or outdoor rink staff if you notice any gaps in the ice that could cause injury.
Wear a Helmet
You wear a helmet for bike riding or skateboarding; why wouldn’t you wear one for skating across hard ice? Protecting yourself from head injuries is important, especially in public skating rinks with people of different sizes, levels, and speeds.
Keep a Safe Distance
Keeping a safe distance from other skaters is important if you lose your balance on the ice. If you’re an inexperienced skater, staying closer to the wall or using assistance if you’re not yet 100% comfortable on ice is perfectly acceptable.
Speak with Your Local Rink
Some outdoor rinks or ribbons request that people make reservations this year to ensure no over-crowding occurs and skaters can maintain a safe distance from one another and avoid long lines. “We do have skate guards that will regulate the speed or activity of skaters. No racing, no other equipment allowed on ice, and all skaters must go in the same direction. We also rent skate aids for beginners,” said a Maggie Daley Ice Ribbon Representative.
Post-Skate Stretch
After every athletic session, the most important part of your recovery is the post-skate stretch. You’ll want to find stretches that open up your hips, extend your hamstrings, and loosen up your shoulder muscles.Aim for around 15 minutes for your cool down to allow your body to get reoriented and flexible. The more time you stretch post-ice skating session, the better you’ll feel daily.
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