Sticks leading to injuries?

[selke71 0]

I'm obviously new to the forum, but I've been reading the posts here for some time.

I have a question about sticks and whether or not they might be leading to injuries. I played hockey all my life but only began playing ice hockey in high school, took off a few years, and have been trying to get back into playing shape recently. I have been spending a lot of time at stick & puck sessions, so that's the context of my question.

I have been using two sticks: an Easton 555 OPS (Sakic curve, 100 flex) and a Sher-Wood 5030 (Spezza curve, 85 flex). The Easton stick is too long, and since I don't have a hacksaw on hand I haven't had the chance to cut it down yet.

To make a very long story short, I have been using mostly the Sher-Wood Spezza, and I have been dealing with a lot of wrist and elbow pain on my left side (I shoot left-handed). I am wondering if this might be related at all to something I'm doing wrong with the stick. The Spezza curve is a weird heel curve that goes straight towards the toe and has a pretty significant open kink in it down at the toe as well. Needless to say I had to learn how to shoot properly with it, coming previously from a Bauer P71 curve in high school and a Koho Jagr curve before that.

Is it possible that the sticks I'm using are too stiff and are therefore leading to "flex" in my elbow or even my wrist when I shoot? I am 5'11", 204 lbs., so it's not that I'm too small or weak necessarily for a stiffer stick, but my actual shooting technique is very good for wrist and slap shots (I make it a point on wrist shots to load the stick properly rather than just whacking or snapping at the puck, for example), and this has never happened to me before. The only thing that is different is the stick(s) that I'm using.

Any thoughts or ideas?

[Wolfpack_1986 154]

stick is too stiff, leading to tennis elbow and tendonitis in the wrists...

(right? correct me if i'm wrong guys)

[Chadd 916]

That's certainly a possibility

[automorph 0]

5"11 200lbs 85 flex???

That stick "should" be whippy for you.........no way it is too stiff

[selke71 0]

5"11 200lbs 85 flex???

That stick "should" be whippy for you.........no way it is too stiff

The Sher-Wood is a wood stick obviously, and frankly it feels stiffer to me than the 100 flex Easton OPS. I rarely feel the Sher-Wood flex even with a strong slapshot, whereas I can feel the Easton flex considerably more with roughly the same shot (though not precisely because, as I said, the Easton is too long for me).

I would certainly expect you to be right though! An 85 flex composite has always felt very whippy to me when I've held them, though I've never played with one.

[Rustpot 1]

5"11 200lbs 85 flex???

That stick "should" be whippy for you.........no way it is too stiff

Unless he's not super strong in the arms. Not playing sports much and being very out of shape made my upper body weak and my core/legs are a tank, I need to use a 75-85 and I'll feel a twinge of pain using anything stiffer, but I have a stride that can keep me with the small fast guys when I push and hook right. I can bend a 100 flex in half off the ice, but on the ice is very different.

Having not played for years at a time and then focusing heavily on stick work can also lead to plain old fatigue. You could also have developed arthritis at some point, my ex hand arthritis in her hands and wrists at 20 years old from nothing in particular except maybe bad genes.

Only way to know if it's too stiff is to beg/borrow/buy/steal something softer and see how it works, or go see a doctor.

[selke71 0]

5"11 200lbs 85 flex???

That stick "should" be whippy for you.........no way it is too stiff

Unless he's not super strong in the arms. Not playing sports much and being very out of shape made my upper body weak and my core/legs are a tank, I need to use a 75-85 and I'll feel a twinge of pain using anything stiffer, but I have a stride that can keep me with the small fast guys when I push and hook right. I can bend a 100 flex in half off the ice, but on the ice is very different.

Having not played for years at a time and then focusing heavily on stick work can also lead to plain old fatigue. You could also have developed arthritis at some point, my ex hand arthritis in her hands and wrists at 20 years old from nothing in particular except maybe bad genes.

Only way to know if it's too stiff is to beg/borrow/buy/steal something softer and see how it works, or go see a doctor.

I suppose there's no harm in spending $50 on a 87 or lower flex OPS just to give it a shot. I didn't want to do that, however, if there was something approaching a consensus around here that it definitely wasn't the problem.

I think the fatigue and arthritis are quite possible as well. I did go from not shooting a puck for years to playing four to five times a week right out the gate. That being said, I gave it a week to heal at one point only to find that, while the left side felt better, I tweaked my right wrist somehow using the Easton stick! I can't catch a break I guess.

Perhaps someone else here who has arthritis or tendinitis could give advice on how to continue playing through that pain and reduce it as much as possible through choice of equipment, change in technique, etc.?

[Rustpot 1]

I should have said that stiff sticks hurt my top wrist, oddly enough. I think the pulling back motion put more stress on it and caused the pain. I haven't used a stiff stick since moving to 85 and lower sticks and haven't had my wrists hurt after a session.

With arthritis you need to lessen the impact and keep the inflammation down- but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion if it's just hockey and nothing else that gives you pain, like long bouts of typing on the keyboard.

Any LHS or hardware store should cut the stick for you, by the way.

[selke71 0]

I should have said that stiff sticks hurt my top wrist, oddly enough. I think the pulling back motion put more stress on it and caused the pain. I haven't used a stiff stick since moving to 85 and lower sticks and haven't had my wrists hurt after a session.

With arthritis you need to lessen the impact and keep the inflammation down- but I wouldn't jump to that conclusion if it's just hockey and nothing else that gives you pain, like long bouts of typing on the keyboard.

Any LHS or hardware store should cut the stick for you, by the way.

I plan to get the Easton stick cut this weekend. I will give that one a shot and hopefully determine if it's just something about the way I shoot with the Spezza curve, which I must admit is just very strange and new to me.

[DarkStar50 679]

If you shoot lefty, I would think it would be your right wrist/forearm that has the pain, not the left. The top hand takes all the stress if a stick is too stiff. The "vibration" has to leave the stick at an end point(the top) to release the energy. Since I cut down sticks quite a bit an 85 for me goes to over 95 in flex and I can feel it on my top hand. I shoot lefty so it's my right forearm that is hurting a day later. I try to use 77 from NBH and 70 from Warrior. I also change sticks every game. The Mission Fuel in 85 though is very whippy even after cutting it.

Maybe you are gripping the stick with your bottom hand too loosely. "Grip it and rip it."

[selke71 0]

If you shoot lefty, I would think it would be your right wrist/forearm that has the pain, not the left. The top hand takes all the stress if a stick is too stiff. The "vibration" has to leave the stick at an end point(the top) to release the energy. Since I cut down sticks quite a bit an 85 for me goes to over 95 in flex and I can feel it on my top hand. I shoot lefty so it's my right forearm that is hurting a day later. I try to use 77 from NBH and 70 from Warrior. I also change sticks every game. The Mission Fuel in 85 though is very whippy even after cutting it.

Maybe you are gripping the stick with your bottom hand too loosely. "Grip it and rip it."

Good idea. I will give that a shot (literally) and see how it goes next time I'm out on the ice.

[roller to ice 0]

i sometimes get pain in my wrist as well if i play or shoot endlessly but it usually goes away for me by the next day when i pick up a stick again i think it might of just been that little bit of time with a stick to long i hurt my wrist pretty bad using a stick that was to long for just an hour of shinny b/c of the weird angle my stick had to sit at from my hands to ice b/c of it being to long just stay away from the stick that doesnt fit right (btw ask your local pro shop if they will cut it i know that 2 outta the 3 pro shops i go to will cut a stick for free or just a few buck)

[Rustpot 1]

i sometimes get pain in my wrist as well if i play or shoot endlessly but it usually goes away for me by the next day when i pick up a stick again i think it might of just been that little bit of time with a stick to long i hurt my wrist pretty bad using a stick that was to long for just an hour of shinny b/c of the weird angle my stick had to sit at from my hands to ice b/c of it being to long just stay away from the stick that doesnt fit right (btw ask your local pro shop if they will cut it i know that 2 outta the 3 pro shops i go to will cut a stick for free or just a few buck)

I know I have run-on sentences sometimes, but damn man. I hope you're either in grade school or are ESL.

[selke71 0]

The length on the Sher-Wood feels pretty comfortable, and I'll have the Easton cut to that size as well I believe. The lie isn't right on the Sher-Wood (5.5 standard) for me. I don't skate very upright at all, and as a result I'd probably use a lie 4 in a perfect world.

[Beflar 53]

My two cents. All I take is wrist shots with the odd one timer. I get elbow and wrist pain at the start of every season(I'm right handed, alway left elbow pain plus both wrists). It tappers off as the season goes on till you notice nothing.

I always have a hard time doing bench press after hockey.

[tlminh 0]

I'm a family practice doc

The pain you're having sounds like it's related to the way you're shooting/holding the stick and being out of commission for so long. Hard to tell if it's lateral epicondylitis(tennis elbow) vs medial epicondylitis (golfer's elbow) but I can say hockey players are more prone to medial inflammation of their lower hand(unless you're backhanding all the time). You may have tweaked it because you've been out so long and never allowed the muscles to heal/re-strengthen

Doubt arthritis unless you've had prior injuries.

I would recommend a getting into a good physical therapy program with a protocol for epicondylitis (or try some home exercises that strengthen the elbow and forearm). Non-steroidal meds are good too (NSAIDS such as ibuprofen or naprosyn, can be used before a game or before physical therapy)

However, there's no way to tell unless you get it checked out by an MD and get a proper referral (ie, don't take my advice without consulting a physician face to face)

[selke71 0]

Thanks!

[Jarick 5]

I got some tennis elbow really bad from using a cut down 85 flex stick, but it was in my right forearm (I'm left handed). I would tend to think it is something in your shot or technique rather than the stick (or maybe both). How long is the stick you're using (i.e. how tall is it when you're in skates)?

[selke71 0]

I got some tennis elbow really bad from using a cut down 85 flex stick, but it was in my right forearm (I'm left handed). I would tend to think it is something in your shot or technique rather than the stick (or maybe both). How long is the stick you're using (i.e. how tall is it when you're in skates)?

The Sher-Wood is about right, and the Easton is about 2" or 2.5" taller than that.

I will say that one thing I noticed early on and have since corrected is that I wasn't turning my left wrist over at all on slapshots. I was trying to get a good rising action on the shot but I thought that might have quite a bit to do with the pain. I've since corrected that, but I'm not totally convinced that was the whole problem. As for wrist shots, I make a very, very strong habit of shooting with proper technique. I pretty much always shoot with the puck at or behind my back foot, and I load the stick properly and follow through rather than just whacking at the puck like I've seen done (and almost certainly did for a long time).

[Jackal_17 0]

The recommendation from the good doc sounds good. Probably RICE it after each session to reduce the pain, swelling and inflammation. Take it easy in the mean time so you don't make it worse than it is.

[selke71 0]

Open question as I am looking at picking up another stick to see if it makes any difference: Am I going to demolish a 75 flex OPS, in your opinion?

I should point out that I've restarted a regimen to get my weight down. When I played in high school I was about 189 lbs., up to 220 lbs. in December '07, down to 179 lbs. in March '08, back up to 204 lbs. when I started this thread (and since back down to 201 lbs. now). I expect to end up anywhere between 171 and 194 when all is said and done. It's a wide margin, but I don't want to sacrifice my lower body strength just to get the weight number down.

I say this only because you might think "204 lbs., he'll snap a 75 flex in half," but it would be worthwhile to know that that weight number will be moving down each time I use it.

[Jason91 0]

If your easton stick is too long, you just try to get it cut as soon as you can and then see how it is for you..

[selke71 0]

If your easton stick is too long, you just try to get it cut as soon as you can and then see how it is for you..

I plan to do that. I will post an update once that's been taken care of.

Thanks.

[selke71 0]

Bought a Bauer Supreme One75 today (Malkin pattern), 77 flex cut down to 84. Going to go use it at stick & puck shortly. We'll see how it goes.

[Jarick 5]

I might get strung up for this, but I don't think your weight is going to make as much a difference as your height and strength. If you're fluctuating between 170 and 200 pounds, it's probably going to be mostly water weight and some fat. I'll bet your muscle mass will be roughly the same, so your strength will be the same and your height obviously will be consistent.

Depending on how tall you are and your shooting style, your biggest factor is how much force you apply to the stick, and that's going to be a function of stick length (longer sticks = more torque = more force on the stick) and strength (more strength = more force on the stick). And for most adults, we're not hitting the gym and we're not particularly muscular, so our height and stick length seems to be the #1 factor unless we're significantly under or over weight.

ANYWAYS, if you want to try a 75 flex stick, try it. I really doubt you'll snap it if you're using 85 flex sticks without a problem now. I went from 200 lbs down to 165-170 and over the same time dropped from 85 flex sticks cut down to 65 flex sticks, and I don't snap anything.