🏒 Slap Shots & Sore Backs: What Hockey Players Need to Know About Low Back Pain
- Julian Simpson
- Apr 24
- 3 min read
🏒 Slap Shots & Sore Backs: What Hockey Players Need to Know About Low Back Pain
At Health Wise Chiropractic, we love working with athletes — and if there’s one sport that puts the body to the test, it’s ice hockey.
Fast skating. Explosive direction changes. Powerful shots.And hours spent in a forward-flexed position.
It’s no surprise that hockey players have one of the highest rates of low back pain (LBP) in sport.
Let’s break down what the research tells us — and what you can do about it.
🧠 Why Hockey Stresses the Lower Back
Hockey players spend most of their time in:
A hip-flexed posture
A forward trunk lean
Repeated explosive rotational movements
Then sitting on the bench… still in hip flexion
Over time, this leads to:
✔ Shortened hip flexors✔ Increased lumbar lordosis (lower back arch)✔ Increased torque through the lumbopelvic region✔ Higher spinal stress
And that’s where things get interesting.
🔎 The Thomas Test: A Simple Predictor
Researchers used the classic Thomas Test (first described in 1876 by Hugh Owen Thomas) to measure hip flexor tightness.
Here’s what they discovered:
60% of players had tight hip flexors
Players with tight hip flexors were 3.17× more likely to develop low back pain
15.7% of tight players developed LBP vs just 5.1% with normal flexibility
Tight players missed:
5× more games
Nearly 4× more practices
That’s a massive performance impact.
And this risk was consistent across:
High school boys
College men
College women
Gender and age didn’t matter.Hip flexor tightness did.
💪 What About Strength?
You might assume stronger hips = safer back.
Surprisingly, the study showed:
Hip strength (flexion, abduction, adduction) did not significantly reduce LBP risk
Even strong athletes with tight hip flexors were still at higher risk
65% of players weak in hip flexion were also tight
So strength alone isn’t the solution.
Mobility matters.
🧊 Why Tight Hip Flexors Cause Problems
When hip flexors shorten:
The pelvis tilts forward
Lumbar spine compression increases
Disc stress rises
Rotation loads the lower back more aggressively
Combine that with repeated skating torque and shooting mechanics — and the lumbar spine takes the hit.
In fact:
44% of hockey players with LBP in one study had spondylolysis
73% occurred on the shooting side
Rotation deficits higher up (thoracic spine) can also shift stress downward into the lower back.
✅ The Good News: This Is Modifiable
Clinical research shows:
Hip flexor stretching improves Thomas Test range
Stretching reduces lumbar lordosis
Stretching improves symptoms in patients with LBP
Postural retraining reduces lumbar strain
That means:
🎯 Screening + Stretching + Postural correction = Prevention opportunity
Because the Thomas Test is simple and reliable, preseason screening can identify athletes at risk before the season starts.
🏒 What Hockey Players Should Be Doing
At Health Wise Chiropractic, we recommend:
1️⃣ Hip Flexor Mobility Work (Daily)
Kneeling hip flexor stretch
Couch stretch
Dynamic skating-specific mobility drills
2️⃣ Thoracic Spine Rotation Work
Open books
Thread-the-needle
Seated rotation drills
3️⃣ Postural Awareness
Neutral pelvis training
Avoid excessive lumbar arch during skating prep
Bench posture correction
4️⃣ Individualised Chiropractic Care
Spinal mobility
Pelvic alignment
Movement pattern assessment
Injury risk screening
For more information about how we can help YOU with your sports performance and/or injury. Please call Health Wise Chiropractic 03 9467 7889 or book online to see one of our Chiropractors in Sunbury or Melton/Strathtulloh Today!
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McHugh MP, Tyler TF, Schmitt BM, Kwiecien SY, Nicholas SJ. The Association Between Hip Flexibility and Low Back Pain in Ice Hockey Players. Orthop J Sports Med. 2026 Feb 5;14(2):23259671251404068. doi: 10.1177/23259671251404068. PMID: 41660292; PMCID: PMC12876650.
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