One of the most gruesome and devastating injuries a hockey player can experience is a skate-cut foot injury (when a blade pierces the skin of the foot or ankle). Depending on the spot that’s hit, an athlete could experience extreme blood loss, nerve damage, or even a severed Achilles tendon.
In order to protect hockey players from such terrible injuries, the most recent U.S Olympic hockey team wore socks made from Kevlar, the same material used for the bullet proof body armor worn by police officers and members of the military.
Although the technology is fairly new, several companies already produce these so-called cut-proof socks, which retail for about $30/pair (This pair is a bit more expensive, but it gives you the basic idea of what this type of sock offers. Apparently, you’d need a powerful saw to cut through the socks, which means that your feet will be protected from the force of a hockey blade slicing through your foot. )
As a Houston podiatrist, I can’t think of any reason not to wear these babies anytime you hit the ice, even if it’s just for a team practice. With all the sharp turns, checks and pile-ups hockey players go through, the odds of being hit by a blade (either your opponent’s, team mates’ or even your own) are fairly high. Purchasing insurance against a blade-cut injury for less than $50 just makes good sense!
In most instances, a podiatrist like myself is able to heal a blade-cut injury fairly quickly, allowing you to return to the ice. There are, however, times when injuries will be so severe that you just can’t be put back together well enough to keep playing. Why take that risk? Make Kevlar socks a part of your regular protective gear along with your helmet and pads to prevent devastating blade cut injuries to your feet and ankles.
