It’s well known that a lot of hockey players deal with FAI. Hip pain in general is typically correlated changes in movement strategy. Which comes first is still up for debate.
From my experience, hockey players aren’t typically great squatters. This may be from a lack of ankle mobility, hip mobility and thoracic extension mobility. Nonetheless, squatting variations are very commonly used in off-season training and rehab.
A 2020 research paper looked at the differences in double- and single leg squats in participants with and without hip pain, or FAI. The double- and single leg squats can resemble different phases of the skating stride. Therefore, we may be able to insinuate a cause of hip pain in hockey plaeyrs with this information.
As a result of understanding the mechanics, we can work to change how players are moving to reduce pain. That could be increasing mobility, strength or working on movement patterns.
Ready? Let’s dive in.
#1 – Less hip adduction in single leg squat:
If you’ve worked with hockey players, you know they live in hip abduction. This may be a result of tight glutes and quads from skating. It might also be a compensatory strategy to avoid impingement symptoms.
This compensation can lead to reduced skating performance. Faster players tend to bring the swing leg further beneath the body (into more adduction) than slower skaters.
If you look at fast players like McDavid, McKinnon or Barzal, they will almost get onto their outside edge for a brief moment during the stance phase.
Hip adduction has a bad rap because of it’s role in ACL injury, but it is a necessary ability for skating.
#2 – Lower hip abductor moments in single leg squat:
The hip abductor muscle group in single leg stance increases joint stability and reduce the shear forces on the femoral neck. Lower abductor moments may be a strategy to reduce joint contact forces in the painful hip.
Most athletes with FAI complain of tight hip flexors. The hip flexors play a role in increasing anterior joint stability. This chronic tightness may be a result of the lacking hip abductors.
In most cases, players will stretch their hip flexors like there’s no tomorrow. In reality, they may just need some glute activation/strengthening.
#3 – Less hip extension moments in double- and single leg squats:
Poor hip extension force has been linked to greater anterior hip joint strain in hip extension activities.
The push-off phase of the skating stride is a combination of abduction, extension and external rotation. If players with FAI lack hip extension moment, they may actually be repetitively straining the anterior hip with each stride. Interestingly, this is also where we will often find labrum tears correlated with FAI.
Shirley Sarhmann coined this movement dysfunction “anterior femoral glide syndrome”. Most cases I’ve seen of hip impingement lack posterior chain strength.
#4 – Slower movement:
The game of hockey is getting faster, players can’t afford to move slow.
People with FAI tend to move slower than those without hip pain. This strategy may reduce the load on the hip. It might also be a sign of hesitation for players experiencing sharp pains with faster movements.
Players will feel more in control of the load on the hip when moving slower. This increases their confidence, but might hinder their performance.
By addressing points 1-3, we may be able to reduce hip pain and re-build their confidence in their hip.
TLDR;
- People with FAI tend to move differently than those without hip pain
- 4 key differences in squatting patterns were found in a 2020 research paper. They were:
- Less adduction motion to avoid impingement symptoms
- Less hip abduction moment to reduce hip joint contact forces
- Less hip extension moment possibly contributing to anterior hip pain
- Slower overall movement to better control hip joint load
I hope this has been helpful!