13 Common Curling injuries (Prevention & Treatment)

13 common curling injuries: rotator cuff strain, back injuries, knee sprains, elbow tendonitis, wrist trouble and ankle sprains.

Sweeping and the delivery slide cause most of them, and falls on the ice add concussions, cuts and groin strains, each entry with its causes and how curlers keep the sheet safe.

Equip yourself properly to prevent common injuries by checking our curling equipment list.

Injury Rates and Numbers

The figures below come from injury surveillance data and peer reviewed studies. Each row names the population it was measured in, because rates from elite athletes and from recreational players are not comparable.

Finding	Measured in	Source
Competitive curlers in the United States sustained time-loss injuries at an estimated rate of 2 per 1,000 athlete exposures.	competitive curlers in the United States, 2004 (publication year)	Elias SR, Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine (self-reported injury patterns study), 2004
79 percent of surveyed competitive curlers reported curling related musculoskeletal pain, most often in the knee, back, or shoulder.	competitive curlers in the United States, 2004 (publication year)	Elias SR, Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine, 2004
At the 2008 World Men’s Curling Championship, elite curlers were injured at a rate of 0.07 injuries per game.	elite male curlers at the World Men’s Curling Championship, 2008	PubMed abstract, injury type and incidence among elite curlers study, 2013

Overview

Injury	Body area	Typical time out
Shoulder injuries (rotator cuff, strains)	Shoulder	4 to 12 weeks, months after surgery
Back injuries (muscle strains)	Lower back	Days to 3 weeks, longer if recurrent
Knee injuries (sprains, strains)	Knee	2 to 6 weeks, months if ligament torn
Elbow injuries (tendonitis)	Elbow	6 weeks to 3 months, longer if chronic
Wrist injuries (sprains, strains)	Hand and wrist	2 to 6 weeks, 3 months if fractured
Ankle sprains	Ankle	1 to 3 weeks, up to 12 for severe
Hand injuries (blisters, sprains)	Hand	Days for blisters, 2 to 6 weeks sprains
Hip injuries (strains)	Hip	2 to 6 weeks, months for tendinopathy
Head injuries (concussions, from falls)	Head	1 to 4 weeks, longer if symptoms last
Groin strains	Groin and inner thigh	2 to 6 weeks, 3 months if severe
Foot injuries (sprains, strains)	Foot	2 to 6 weeks, months for plantar pain
Cuts and abrasions (from contact with ice or equipment)	Skin	Days to 2 weeks, longer if stitched
Neck injuries (muscle strain)	Neck	Days to 3 weeks, longer after a fall
Finger Sprain and Jammed Finger (Collateral Ligament Injury)	Finger	2 to 6 weeks, stiffness for months

Shoulder injuries (rotator cuff, strains)

Sweeping loads the rotator cuff tendons, mainly supraspinatus and infraspinatus, where they pass under the bony roof of the shoulder. You press down on the broom head with a bent arm and repeat that push at a high cadence for the length of a sheet, which compresses and fatigues those tendons and irritates the subacromial bursa. The long head of the biceps tendon and the muscles that stabilize the shoulder blade often get involved as well.

Symptoms

• A deep ache on the outside or front of the shoulder during and after sweeping.
• Pain when you lift the arm to shoulder height or reach across your body.
• The arm feels weak when you push down on the broom late in a game.
• Discomfort lying on that side at night.
• A catching or pinching sensation at a certain point in the arc of movement.

How serious it is: Most curling shoulders are a reactive tendinopathy or bursitis that settles with load management and strength work. A true tear is graded by how much of the tendon is involved, from a partial thickness tear to a full thickness tear, and weakness that does not improve with a few weeks of rehabilitation points toward the more serious end.

Typical time out: Four to twelve weeks for tendinopathy or a mild strain if you cut sweeping volume early and rehabilitate, longer if you keep sweeping through pain. After surgical repair of a full thickness tear the return is usually four to six months, because the tendon needs protected healing before loading.

See a doctor if: See a doctor if you cannot lift the arm away from your body at all after a fall, or if weakness and night pain persist beyond a few weeks despite reduced load.

What helps

• Reduce sweeping volume rather than stopping completely, keep the load at a level that stays below a mild, settling pain.
• Progressive strength work for the rotator cuff and the shoulder blade muscles, including rows and external rotation, loaded heavy enough to be challenging.
• Adjust technique so the push comes from the legs and trunk over the broom rather than from an extended arm alone.
• Physical therapy if pain or weakness lasts more than two or three weeks, mainly to get the loading dose right.
• Imaging only if there is real weakness, a clear injury moment, or no progress after six to eight weeks. A corticosteroid injection can dampen pain briefly, but it does nothing for tendon quality and may leave the tendon worse in the long run, so it stays an exception.

Back injuries (muscle strains)

The lumbar erector spinae and quadratus lumborum work hard while you sweep in a forward bent, slightly rotated position and while you hold the delivery slide with the trunk low over the front leg. Strain happens when these muscles fatigue and the load shifts to the passive structures, the small facet joints and the discs. Sweeping while walking sideways on ice adds a twisting component that the low back tolerates poorly once fatigued.

Symptoms

• A band of tightness or ache across the low back after an end of heavy sweeping.
• Sharp pain when you straighten up after being bent over the broom.
• Stiffness the next morning that eases as you move.
• Pain on one side only when you rotate toward the sweeping side.
• Difficulty holding the low delivery position without the back complaining.

How serious it is: Muscle strains are graded 1 to 3, from a few torn fibers with full strength to a complete tear with visible loss of function. Almost all curling back pain is grade 1 or a nonspecific mechanical strain that improves within days to weeks. Pain that travels down the leg suggests a nerve is involved and is a different problem.

Typical time out: A few days to three weeks for a simple strain, with light movement started almost immediately. Recurrent low back pain that has built over a season can take two to three months to settle, because the issue is accumulated load and trunk endurance rather than one torn muscle.

See a doctor if: Get medical help the same day for numbness in the groin or inner thighs, loss of bladder or bowel control, leg weakness, or back pain that is severe at night and at complete rest.

What helps

• Keep moving with walking and easy range of motion in the first days, since prolonged bed rest slows recovery.
• Build trunk endurance rather than raw strength, with side planks, bird dogs, and loaded carries done for time.
• Strengthen the hips and hamstrings so hinging comes from the hips instead of the lumbar spine during the slide.
• Split sweeping duties across the team and take a position that requires less sweeping while symptoms settle.
• Physical therapy if pain persists past three to four weeks or keeps returning at the same point every season.

Knee injuries (sprains, strains)

The delivery puts the trailing knee into deep flexion while the front leg carries the slide, and the push out of the hack loads the knee under load in a bent position. That combination irritates the cartilage behind the kneecap, the patellar tendon, and the prepatellar bursa over the front of the kneecap, which can swell from repeated kneeling and pressure on the ice. Ligament sprains of the medial collateral or the cruciates usually come from a slip or a twisting fall rather than from repetition.

Symptoms

• Aching around or behind the kneecap after deliveries, worse going down stairs.
• A soft, warm swelling right over the front of the kneecap.
• Pain when kneeling or holding the slide position.
• A feeling of giving way or instability after a twisting slip.
• Stiffness after sitting through a long end.

How serious it is: Ligament sprains are graded 1 to 3: stretched fibers with a stable joint, a partial tear with some laxity, and a complete tear with clear instability. Overuse problems at the front of the knee are milder and are separated by how much they limit the delivery. Swelling that appears within an hour of a twisting injury suggests bleeding in the joint and needs assessment.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a grade 1 sprain or a front of knee overload, six to twelve weeks for a grade 2 sprain. A complete cruciate tear that is reconstructed usually means nine to twelve months, because the graft has to mature before it tolerates twisting.

See a doctor if: See a doctor if the knee swells rapidly after a twist, locks so you cannot straighten it, or gives way under your own body weight.

What helps

• Strengthen the quadriceps and hips through the range you actually use in the delivery, including partial range squats and step downs.
• Use a proper knee pad or a slider setup that reduces direct pressure on the kneecap during the slide.
• Reduce the depth of the slide position temporarily while symptoms settle rather than stopping all curling.
• For a swollen bursa, take pressure off the front of the knee for a week or two and avoid kneeling on hard surfaces off the ice.
• Physical therapy for anything that feels unstable, and imaging when the joint locks, swells fast, or does not improve in six weeks.

Elbow injuries (tendonitis)

Gripping the broom handle and pushing down through a bent arm loads the common extensor tendon on the outer side of the elbow, the origin of the wrist extensors, which is the classic tennis elbow site. On the inner side, the flexor and pronator tendons take the load when you grip hard and drive the brush head across the ice. It is a degenerative overload of the tendon origin rather than a simple inflammation, which is why it responds to loading rather than to rest alone.

Symptoms

• Point tenderness on the bony bump on the outside or inside of the elbow.
• Pain when gripping the broom, a mug, or a door handle.
• Weak grip that fails before the muscle feels tired.
• Pain radiating down the forearm during and after sweeping.
• Stiffness in the elbow first thing in the morning.

How serious it is: There is no formal grading. The mild form hurts only during and shortly after sweeping and settles overnight, while the established form hurts with everyday gripping, has lasted months, and takes far longer to turn around. Duration of symptoms before treatment predicts recovery better than pain intensity.

Typical time out: Six weeks to three months for a recent case managed with load adjustment and progressive strength work. A case that has run for six months or more often needs six to twelve months, since tendon tissue remodels slowly.

See a doctor if: See a doctor if you have numbness or pins and needles in the hand, since that points to nerve irritation rather than a tendon problem.

What helps

• Progressive loading of the wrist extensors, starting with slow isometric holds for pain relief and moving on to heavy slow or eccentric wrist extension.
• Grip strength work and shoulder blade strength, since a weak chain upstream leaves the elbow doing more.
• A thicker or softer broom handle grip and a lighter grip pressure while sweeping.
• Cut sweeping volume for a few weeks instead of resting fully, then rebuild the number of ends gradually.
• Physical therapy if there is no progress within about six weeks. A corticosteroid injection can settle pain for a few weeks but is linked to worse outcomes at one year in tendinopathy, so it is a last resort rather than a first step.

Wrist injuries (sprains, strains)

Sweeping asks the wrist to hold a fixed position while force goes down the broom, which strains the wrist extensor and flexor muscle bellies and the small ligaments on the back and thumb side of the joint. Falls onto an outstretched hand on ice sprain the ligaments between the carpal bones and can also injure the triangular fibrocartilage on the little finger side. The tendons of the thumb can become irritated where they cross the wrist if you grip the handle mostly with the thumb.

Symptoms

• Ache across the back of the wrist that builds through a game.
• Pain when you push up from a chair or press down on the broom.
• Swelling or a puffy feeling around the joint after play.
• Reduced range when you bend the wrist back.
• A sharp pain on the thumb side when you grip and turn.

How serious it is: Sprains follow the usual 1 to 3 scale from stretched ligament fibers to a complete tear with instability. Most curling wrists are grade 1 muscle or ligament strains. A wrist that stays swollen and painful in the anatomical snuffbox after a fall must be checked for a scaphoid fracture, which is easy to miss on early images.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a mild sprain or strain if you modify sweeping. Six to twelve weeks for a significant ligament injury, and three months or more for a scaphoid fracture, since that bone has a poor blood supply and heals slowly.

See a doctor if: Get an assessment after a fall if there is pain in the hollow at the base of the thumb, obvious deformity, or you cannot turn the palm up and down.

What helps

• Wrist extensor and flexor strengthening and grip work, built up gradually rather than started at full load.
• A supportive wrist wrap for training sessions with heavy sweeping, used as a temporary aid rather than permanently.
• Change the grip so the force runs through the whole hand and forearm instead of the thumb alone.
• Short periods of cooling in the first hours after an acute sprain if it helps the pain, then early gentle movement.
• Imaging after any fall onto the hand with persistent bony tenderness, because a missed scaphoid fracture has real consequences.

Ankle sprains

Most ankle sprains in curling roll the foot inward and stretch or tear the lateral ligaments, mainly the anterior talofibular ligament at the front of the outer ankle. The trigger is usually a slip when the slider foot loses grip, a stumble while walking backward and sweeping, or catching an edge on the hack. The high ankle ligaments between the shin bones can be involved if the foot twists outward with the leg loaded.

Symptoms

• Immediate pain on the outside of the ankle at the moment of the twist.
• Swelling within the first hour, often followed by bruising below the ankle bone.
• Difficulty putting full weight through the foot.
• A feeling of looseness when you change direction.
• Tenderness when you press just in front of the outer ankle bone.

How serious it is: Grade 1 stretches the ligament with mild swelling and normal walking, grade 2 is a partial tear with clear swelling and painful weight bearing, and grade 3 is a complete tear with marked instability. A high ankle sprain looks milder at first but takes considerably longer to settle.

Typical time out: One to three weeks for grade 1, three to six weeks for grade 2, and eight to twelve weeks or more for grade 3 or a high ankle sprain. The range is wide because balance and ligament sense recover more slowly than the swelling does.

See a doctor if: Get it assessed if you cannot take four steps on it, if there is bony tenderness on the back edge of either ankle bone, or if the foot looks out of line.

What helps

• Start weight bearing as pain allows within the first days, since early controlled loading gives better outcomes than immobilization.
• Balance and single leg control work, continued for at least three months, because poor balance is the main reason ankles resprain.
• Calf and peroneal strengthening, including heel raises and resisted outward movement of the foot.
• An external ankle brace or taping for the first months back on the ice, which measurably lowers the risk of a repeat sprain.
• Physical therapy if you cannot walk normally after a week or if the ankle keeps giving way.

Hand injuries (blisters, sprains)

Blisters form where shear between the broom handle and the skin separates the outer skin layers and fluid fills the gap, typically at the base of the fingers and across the palm. Sprains involve the small collateral ligaments of the finger and thumb joints and usually come from a fall onto the hand or from the broom being wrenched sideways. Prolonged hard gripping in cold air also makes the hands feel swollen and stiff, because the small vessels and soft tissues react to cold and sustained pressure.

Symptoms

• A hot spot that turns into a fluid filled blister on the palm or finger base.
• Raw, tender skin after a long practice session.
• Pain and swelling at one finger joint after a fall or a wrench.
• Hands that feel tight, puffy, and stiff for an hour or two after play.
• Difficulty closing the hand fully around the handle.

How serious it is: A blister with intact skin is a minor problem, while a torn blister is an open wound and carries an infection risk. Finger ligament sprains follow the 1 to 3 grading, and a joint that is unstable when the examiner stresses it sideways, or that cannot be straightened actively, needs proper assessment rather than taping.

Typical time out: A few days to two weeks for blisters, depending on whether the skin stays intact. Two to six weeks for a mild finger sprain, and six weeks or more if the joint was unstable or immobilized.

See a doctor if: See a doctor if a blister becomes red, warm, and increasingly painful with pus or streaking, or if a finger joint is deformed, unstable, or cannot be straightened by itself.

What helps

• Well fitting curling gloves with a grip that does not slide, replaced before the palm material goes smooth.
• Leave an intact blister covered with a hydrocolloid dressing rather than deroofing it, and keep a torn one clean and dressed.
• Build hand tolerance gradually across preseason practice instead of jumping into long sweeping sessions.
• For swollen, stiff hands after play, move the fingers through full range and let them warm up gradually rather than forcing them.
• Buddy tape a sprained finger to the neighboring one for support once a serious injury has been ruled out.

Hip injuries (strains)

The push out of the hack is a hard one legged extension that loads the gluteal muscles and the hip flexors, while the trailing leg is held in a deep, externally rotated position through the slide. That combination strains the hip flexor tendons at the front and can irritate the gluteal tendons on the outside of the hip where they attach to the greater trochanter. The joint itself is compressed at the front in the deep slide position, which some people feel as a pinch in the groin crease.

Symptoms

• A pull at the front of the hip when you push out of the hack.
• Pain on the outer point of the hip when lying on that side.
• A pinch deep in the groin crease at the bottom of the slide.
• Stiffness when standing up after sitting.
• Reduced power in the delivery push on one side.

How serious it is: Muscle strains are graded 1 to 3 by how many fibers are torn and how much strength is lost. Gluteal tendon problems are not graded but separate into an irritable stage that hurts with compression and lying on the side, and a longstanding stage with weakness that needs months of loading.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a grade 1 strain, six to twelve weeks for a grade 2. Gluteal tendinopathy often runs three to six months, because the tendon needs a long, steady build of load rather than a short rehabilitation block.

See a doctor if: See a doctor if you felt a sudden pop with immediate loss of power, if you cannot bear weight, or if there is groin pain with fever or night pain at rest.

What helps

• Progressive hip flexor and gluteal strengthening, including split squats, hip thrusts, and side lying abduction with load.
• Work on hip mobility so the slide depth comes from the joint rather than from the low back.
• Reduce the number of full effort deliveries per session while symptoms settle, and keep the low load technique work.
• Avoid sitting or standing with the legs crossed if the outer hip is irritated, since that compresses the tendon.
• Physical therapy if power is clearly reduced or if the pain has lasted more than six weeks.

Head injuries (concussions, from falls)

A concussion is a functional disturbance of the brain caused by rapid acceleration of the head, not by a structural cut or bruise you can see. In curling it comes almost entirely from falls, since a slip on the sheet often tips the body backward and the back of the head strikes ice, which absorbs almost none of the impact. Collisions with a teammate or with a stone while sweeping backward account for the rest.

Symptoms

• Headache or pressure in the head after a fall.
• Dizziness, feeling off balance, or a sense of being in a fog.
• Nausea, or light and noise feeling uncomfortably strong.
• Slow thinking, difficulty concentrating, or trouble remembering the moments around the fall.
• Feeling unusually tired or irritable in the hours afterward.

How serious it is: Concussion is no longer graded by number at the time of injury, because early severity predicts recovery poorly. What matters is the pattern of recovery: most people improve steadily over days to a few weeks, and symptoms that persist beyond a month are managed as prolonged recovery. Any loss of consciousness, seizure, or repeated vomiting shifts it into an emergency assessment.

Typical time out: Typically one to four weeks, following a graded return that adds physical then cognitive then curling specific load only while symptoms stay settled. Recovery can extend to several months if symptoms persist, and it takes longer after repeat concussions.

See a doctor if: Go to an emergency department for loss of consciousness, a seizure, repeated vomiting, worsening headache, confusion that increases, weakness or numbness, or unequal pupils.

What helps

• Leave the ice immediately and do not return the same day, regardless of how quickly you feel better.
• Relative rest for the first day or two, then light aerobic activity below the symptom threshold, since prolonged complete rest delays recovery.
• Medical assessment and a structured stepwise return to sport rather than a self judged return.
• A helmet or padded headband while learning to slide or when balance is unreliable, which is the main practical protection on ice.
• Immediate reassessment if symptoms return at any step of the return to play progression.

Groin strains

The adductor muscles on the inner thigh, especially adductor longus at its tendon near the pubic bone, control the trailing leg as it is dragged behind you in the slide and stabilize the pelvis during the push out of the hack. A strain occurs where the muscle meets its tendon when the leg is pulled into a wide position under load, which is exactly the delivery posture. Sudden slips that force the legs apart cause the acute version.

Symptoms

• A sharp pull high on the inner thigh at the moment of a slip or a hard push.
• Pain when squeezing the knees together.
• Tenderness along the inner thigh toward the pubic bone.
• Discomfort getting out of a car or turning over in bed.
• A shortened, guarded slide because the leg will not extend fully.

How serious it is: Graded 1 to 3, from a few torn fibers with a full range of movement, through a partial tear with visible bruising and clear weakness, to a complete tear or tendon avulsion with a palpable gap. Pain that has crept in over weeks rather than appearing suddenly is usually adductor related groin pain, which behaves more like a tendon problem.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a grade 1 strain, six to twelve weeks for a grade 2, and three months or more for a complete tear or after surgery. Long standing groin pain that developed gradually often needs eight to sixteen weeks of progressive adductor loading.

See a doctor if: See a doctor if you felt a pop with immediate inability to bear weight, if there is extensive bruising, or if groin pain comes with fever, testicular pain, or a visible bulge.

What helps

• Progressive adductor strengthening, with the Copenhagen adduction exercise being the best supported option for both treatment and prevention.
• Start gentle isometric squeezes within the first days at a pain free intensity, rather than waiting for pain to disappear.
• Rebuild the slide gradually, first short and shallow, then full depth and full push.
• Balance the adductor work with gluteal and abdominal strengthening, since the pelvis is controlled from several directions.
• Physical therapy or medical assessment if pain persists beyond six weeks or keeps recurring each season.

Foot injuries (sprains, strains)

The hack foot drives the whole delivery through the ball of the foot and the toes, which loads the plantar fascia and the small joints of the midfoot. The slider foot bears weight on a low friction sole with no grip, so the muscles under the arch work constantly to hold position through the slide. Repeated push offs also irritate the joint at the base of the big toe and the tendons that run behind the ankle bones into the foot.

Symptoms

• Heel pain that is worst with the first steps in the morning or after sitting.
• Aching along the arch after a long session on the ice.
• Pain at the base of the big toe when pushing off from the hack.
• Tenderness on top of the midfoot after a stumble.
• Burning or cramping in the foot late in a game.

How serious it is: Soft tissue sprains follow the 1 to 3 grading. Plantar fascia irritation is separated by how far into the day the pain lasts: pain only in the first steps is mild, while pain that stays all day is well established. A midfoot injury with bruising on the sole after a twist is treated as a possible fracture or Lisfranc injury until imaging says otherwise.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a mild sprain or strain. Plantar fascia problems commonly take three to six months, since the tissue responds slowly and daily walking keeps loading it. A midfoot fracture means six to twelve weeks or more.

See a doctor if: Get it checked if you cannot bear weight after a twist, if there is bruising on the sole of the midfoot, or if the foot is numb or cold.

What helps

• Calf and foot intrinsic strengthening, including heel raises with the toes propped up, which loads the plantar fascia progressively.
• Footwear off the ice that supports the arch during the season, and curling shoes that actually fit rather than being a size too large.
• Reduce the number of full power push offs per session while symptoms settle, and keep the technique work at a lighter effort.
• Calf and plantar fascia stretching in the morning before the first steps.
• Imaging and medical review if a midfoot injury does not settle within a week or two, since Lisfranc injuries are commonly missed.

Cuts and abrasions (from contact with ice or equipment)

Falls on ice scrape the outer skin layers off the palms, forearms, and knees, and the ice surface is abrasive enough at speed to break the skin. Deeper cuts usually involve equipment: the edge of a broom head, a broken handle, a stone handle, or the edge of a stone catching a finger as it is released. Because the hands are cold, a cut can bleed more than expected and hurt less than it should at first.

Symptoms

• A stinging, raw area of skin after a slide or fall.
• Bleeding from a defined edge if equipment was involved.
• Grit or ice shavings visible in the wound.
• Throbbing pain that builds once the hands warm up.
• Increasing redness, warmth, or swelling around the wound in the days afterward.

How serious it is: A superficial abrasion involves only the top skin layers and heals without a scar. A cut that gapes open, exposes fatty tissue, or crosses a joint crease usually needs closure within hours. Any wound that affects sensation or movement in a finger suggests a tendon or nerve injury underneath and is not a simple skin wound.

Typical time out: A few days to two weeks for abrasions and small cuts, mainly so the wound is not repeatedly reopened by gripping. Three to six weeks if the cut needed stitches over a joint, and considerably longer if a tendon or nerve was involved.

See a doctor if: Seek care for bleeding that does not stop with ten minutes of firm pressure, a wound that gapes, numbness or weakness beyond the cut, an unclear tetanus status, or spreading redness and fever.

What helps

• Irrigate the wound thoroughly with clean running water to remove grit before covering it.
• Firm direct pressure for bleeding, held continuously rather than lifted every few seconds to check.
• Cover with a clean dressing and keep it slightly moist rather than letting a hard scab form, which heals faster and scars less.
• Gloves and intact equipment, with cracked broom heads and splintered handles taken out of use.
• Check the wound daily for the first week for increasing redness, warmth, or discharge.

Neck injuries (muscle strain)

During the slide and while sweeping you hold the head up and forward to watch the stone and the broom, which asks the upper trapezius, levator scapulae, and the deep neck extensors to hold an isometric contraction for long periods. That sustained load is what strains them, not a single movement. A backward fall on ice can also whip the neck, straining the same muscles and the small joints of the cervical spine.

Symptoms

• Aching along the top of the shoulders and the back of the neck after a game.
• Stiffness turning the head to one side.
• A pulling sensation when you hold the head up in the delivery position.
• Headache starting at the base of the skull.
• Tender knots in the muscle beside the neck.

How serious it is: Ordinary muscle strains follow the 1 to 3 grading but are almost always grade 1 in curling. Neck pain after a fall is assessed differently: midline bony tenderness, pain with any neck movement, or symptoms in the arms all raise the question of a bone or nerve injury and need imaging rather than stretching.

Typical time out: A few days to three weeks for a simple strain, with movement kept up throughout. Neck pain after a fall with whiplash type mechanism commonly takes four to twelve weeks, and the range depends heavily on how early normal movement resumes.

See a doctor if: Get urgent assessment for numbness, tingling, or weakness in the arms or legs after a fall, or for midline tenderness over the bones of the neck.

What helps

• Keep the neck moving through comfortable range from the first day instead of holding it still.
• Deep neck flexor and shoulder blade endurance work, since the problem is holding capacity rather than strength.
• Adjust the head position in the delivery so you look forward with the eyes more and crane the neck less.
• Heat and gentle movement for muscular tightness, with short cooling only if an acute strain is sharply painful.
• Physical therapy if the stiffness lasts more than three weeks or keeps returning, and medical review for any arm symptoms.

Finger Sprain and Jammed Finger (Collateral Ligament Injury)

The collateral ligaments on either side of the middle finger joint, the proximal interphalangeal joint, hold that joint stable against sideways force. In curling they are injured when a finger catches on the stone handle at release, is caught between a stone and the ice, or takes the impact of a fall onto a splayed hand. The volar plate on the palm side of the same joint is often injured at the same time, which is why the joint swells and stiffens for months.

Symptoms

• Immediate pain and swelling around one finger joint after a jam or a fall.
• The joint becomes thick and sausage like within a few hours.
• Difficulty fully straightening or fully bending the finger.
• Pain when the finger is pushed sideways, for example while gripping the broom.
• The joint stays visibly thicker than the same joint on the other hand for months.

How serious it is: Graded 1 to 3 like other sprains, from a stretched ligament with a stable joint, through a partial tear, to a complete tear where the joint opens up under sideways stress. A joint that dislocated, that cannot be actively straightened, or that has a rotational twist when you make a fist needs prompt hand assessment, since those suggest an unstable injury or an avulsion fracture.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks before you can grip a broom normally after a grade 1 or 2 sprain, with residual swelling and stiffness for three to six months. Six weeks or more if the joint was unstable, dislocated, or needed immobilization, because the finger joint stiffens quickly when it is held still.

See a doctor if: See a doctor the same day if the finger is visibly crooked or rotated, cannot be straightened by itself, is numb, or looks pale at the tip.

What helps

• Buddy tape the injured finger to its neighbor for support once a fracture and instability have been ruled out, which allows early controlled movement.
• Start gentle bending and straightening within the first days, since finger joints lose range fast when immobilized.
• Short periods of cooling and elevation in the first hours if swelling and pain are marked.
• Grip strength work reintroduced gradually, starting with a soft ball before returning to a full broom grip.
• Hand therapy referral if the finger will not straighten or if stiffness is not improving after three to four weeks, and an x ray after any dislocation or if bony tenderness persists.

First Aid for Soft Tissue Injuries: PEACE and LOVE

Sports medicine has moved on from RICE. The current guidance, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2019, splits care into the first days after the injury and everything that follows.

PEACE, the first two to three days

• Protect: unload the area and limit movement that hurts, but only briefly.
• Elevate: keep the limb above heart level when you can.
• Avoid anti-inflammatories: they may blunt the healing you need.
• Compress: a bandage or taping limits swelling.
• Educate: your body heals this on its own; passive treatments rarely speed it up.

LOVE, from day three onward

• Load: return to movement as pain allows, early loading builds tissue.
• Optimism: expectations shape recovery more than most people assume.
• Vascularization: easy cardio that does not hurt brings blood to the area.
• Exercise: restore strength, mobility and balance before returning to play.

Ice still helps with pain in the first hours. What changed is the evidence that long icing and routine anti-inflammatory drugs slow tissue repair.

How to Lower Your Risk in Curling

• Increase sweeping volume in steps across the preseason rather than going from no ice time to full league games, since the shoulder, elbow, and back problems in curling come from accumulated repetitions rather than from single movements.
• Strength train the areas the survey evidence flags as the pain hot spots in curlers, namely the knees, low back, and shoulders, with squats or split squats, loaded carries, rows, and rotator cuff work carried through the season rather than only in the preseason.
• Load the adductors specifically with an exercise such as the Copenhagen adduction, because the slide holds the trailing leg in the exact position that strains the inner thigh.
• Keep the gripper and slider in good condition, take the gripper off before walking on rubber matting or stairs, and replace the slider before the edges start catching.
• Practice balance and single leg control off the ice, since most of the sudden injuries in curling, from ankle sprains to concussion, start with a slip rather than with a movement.
• Rotate sweeping duty within the team and share the ends, so the same two players do not take every hard sweep of a bonspiel.

When to Stop and Get Medical Help

Most of the injuries on this page are treated at home. These signs are not.

• Any blow to the head followed by confusion, memory gaps, repeated vomiting, worsening headache, or loss of consciousness.
• Inability to bear weight on a leg after a fall, or an obvious deformity in a limb, which suggests a fracture or dislocation.
• New numbness, tingling, or weakness in an arm or leg, especially after a fall onto the back or neck.
• A joint that locks or cannot be moved through its normal range, or that gives way under body weight.
• Rapid swelling of a joint within an hour of a twisting injury, which points to bleeding inside the joint.
• Bleeding that does not stop after ten minutes of firm continuous pressure, or a wound that gapes open.

Sources

• Elias SR, Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine (self-reported injury patterns study), 2004
• PubMed abstract, injury type and incidence among elite curlers study, 2013

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are hurt, a doctor or physiotherapist who can examine you is worth more than any web page. Last reviewed: August 2026.

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