tough on knees?

[OldGoalie915]

Hello there everyone. I have been considering playing roller hockey in the off season (we only have ice until May/june). I have been told by a couple of goalies (that play roller) that it is ALOT harder on your knees. I have a bad left knee that I have had no problem with playing ice.
Is Roller Hockey on Sport Court harder on your knees? And if it is.. why? Just wanting different opinions here

Thanks in advance,

OldGoalie915

[nimbus906]

Hello,

I actually have felt that it is the exact opposite. I played roller for between for and five years without problems and started to play ice about 1.5 years ago and tweaked the MCL in my right knee and had a grade 2 MCL sprain in my left. might be doing something wrong but good luck either way.

[moogy35]

Hey nice to see you here.

Roller vs Ice

I think that these two games are very different. The movements are very different, no shuffling, so to move involves a lot of T-glides and C cuts.

I think that if your knee doesn't prevent you from playing roller, it will help your ice game. I know it has for me. I'm a much better skater because of all the roller I play. Then when you get on the ice you have many more options are far as save selection (because of the surface and shuffling).

As you know I just hurt my knee a month ago playing out. I haven't been able to skate yet (probably another month). I have a grade I MCL sprain and this is my first knee injury. I really nervuos and hope it heals back to the way it was. Last year I was invited to tryout for Team USA's women's roller team and in May I hope to go again. My fingers are crossed that by then I'll be in good enough shape.

As soon as I get back to play goal I'll let you know how it feels on ice vs sport court.

[MrMikeEMike]

There's pro's and con's to both, but generally speaking I've had less pain in my knees playing roller than I did playing ice.

Most of the injuries to my knees on ice could have probably been prevented if I had known about OD's back then, as they were mostly due to sliding out and falling all wrong. (I had no technique other than get in the way of the puck.)

In roller, I feel llike my knees hurt most when either a) I get caught wrong on a breakaway and try to B/F while going backwards or b) twisting while down in a B/F and not having the pads twist as quick as my knee. "A" is kind of like whiplash to the knee, and could be prevented with some additional stretching. "B" I take as a nature of the beast, and it doesn't happen all that often.

I wouldn't worry too much about playing roller if your knees are a little shot. Just wear good knee pads, or make sure your landing gear in your pads is up to snuff, and you should be fine.

Mike

[big dog daddy]

old goalie.

As a player witha bad left knee ( torn pcl and no meniscus cartlidge) I am forced to play all sports with a knee brace on my left leg. The worst thing i have ever happen is when a player fell on my right leg while i was up and it sprained my MCL. This could happen in ice or roller. the only thing i can see it being harder on your knees is the fact that you can not slide very well on roller. If you are used to sliding on ice and try the same save in roller you could cause some problems with your knees. I have been playing both now for about 2 years and no problems with my knees from either that could be prevented.

BDD

[OldGoalie915]

I appreciate all the replies. I now have someserious thinking to do if I want to play roller or not. This seems to be one of those areas that almost no one can agree on. Some say yes, some say no, you say tomato I say tomaaato.. you get the idea

Anyway... will have to think on this. Maybe see what my pad designer can come up with for additional knee protection.

Thanks Again.

OldGoalie915
btw for those that are wondering knee surgery I have had. In this order.... 1. Medial mediscus replacement, 2. LCL repaired, 3. ACL replacement

I now am playing on a reconstructed right knee , and now it seems to be much easier and less stressfull on the joints playing on ice than on the deck .. the movements are smoother and easier in ice skates vs roller skates and ive noticed for me that i probably wont play much roller hockey again cause i dont want to blow out the knee again ....... Pat

[WERNER 1]

Another thing to consider is the Roller surface you will be playing on. For instance...... I used to play on a roll on surface that was reletivly slick. I have sence been playing on a sport court surface which I find to be rather sticky. I haven't had any knee problems on either surface, but if you are going from ice to sport court allow time to learn the feel for the floor.

Extra landing gear is a plus as well, somtimes I've smacked the inside of my knee on the floor because the padding was too small....it's not a problem anymore (Modifications!!! )

I think that playing both roller and ice helps improve your skills more so than if you just played one or the other exclusivly.

Just my opinion..

Have FUN!!!!!!

[Aaron]

I've played both. Albeit briefly on ice. I think the biggest thing was when going backwards, the pad would tend to pull away from your leg when you do a b/fly. Extra knee protection is a must, no matter which one you play. I use very minimal knee protection right now. Actually, none at all. It ripped out and i haven't re-sewn it in months. I dont' use knee cradles/locks/calf locks. Just an open leg channel, and a calf wrap. I use the Brown knee guards that attach to the pants, and my pads only had the basic 2 flaps to land on. All that knee landing gear crap makes me feel like I have 2 huge rolls of paper towels between my knees when I skate. Been there, tried it, forgot it.

Oddzilla complained that his knees hurt horribly when he subbed for me once. I don't know how, as the ice is harder than the floor but I'm no expert. Maybe because when you land on ice, your knee can slide a bit, dispersing the impact? Tartan, step in.....

[mont]

My own experience with the two sports (I do both) is that off-ice hockey is far more stressful to the legs in general. Not just the knees but the hips as well. I think this is because greater friction on off-ice surfaces leads to more stress during most movements - especially those up and down. Furthermore, if you are hit or knocked over by a body when performing say a butterfly, your leg could completely bind whereas on ice there is the chance for slipping out.

It was actually not until I began to play off-ice hockey that I experienced knee problems and today wear a massive brace on my left knee.

Don't get me wrong - I LOVE ROLLER HOCKEY as much as ice hockey! Its just that in my opinion, there is a greater risk of injuring the knee in roller than ice. But even this answer isnt necessarily accurate because differences in surfaces cause varying stress levels (we play on asphalt), and the technique one uses is a factor as well.

www.cityhustlers.com

[mont]

Ol' guy - ya got mail...

[Gimpish Goalie]

roller is great i say ya play it