Sledge/Sled hockey has its own list of common sport related injures. Hey, if it wasn't challenging and a little bit dangerous it wouldn't be worth doing would it!
Sciatic nerve pinches are common in ambulatory players since you are sitting down. The pressure points could be anywhere between the lower back and the knees. Common solutions to this are padding in the bucket and lots of stretching exercises. Your sledge builder might also put you in a shorter sledge or modify your sledge so that your knees are bent. This later solution of course will have impacts on your performance. The angular momentum of your sledge will be reduced and you'll probably be able to turn faster but on the other hand you'll not be able to reach as far in front of your sled and the length of your stroke, for propelling the sledge will be shortened.
Golfers (sledge hockey) elbow can be a problem. For us older folk, those who aren't much dependant on their upper bodies for mobility, heavier individuals or for those us who just don't know when to let up, the stress on the elbow joint on the side closest to your body can be excessive. The cause could be raising the puck, jamming the stick into seam along the puck stop at the bottom of the boards (learn to let the stick slip through your hands or let go of it all together) or repetative stress. Ice that elbow at the end of the game and several times a day for no more than 15 minutes at a time with at least 15 minutes inbetween icings. Perform some dumb-bell curls with your wrists. With the bottome of your forearm supported (by your leg, a table or arm rest) and using light weights, curl the weight using your wrists. Curl with your palm facing up and with your palm facing down. Perform 3 sets of each with at least 30 reps. You may find you'll require two different weights since your likely stronger in one direction than the other. If you're lucky enough to live in Ottawa, you can hit the canal in the winter time and perform 16 km of light skating!
The mark of/on a player in this sport is the pick mark. Punctures or scratches can occur anywhere there isn't padding. Picks sometimes even find their way under pads! Typically these scrapes are pretty superficial but at the more competative levels (national) there have been permanent marks made. Hockey equipment typically doesn't get washed that often and is filled with bacteria. So, clean those pick marks soon after getting off the ice.
Most sanctioning bodies have a list of manditory equipment. This usually includes a helmet with cage, a neck guard and shoulder pads. Elbow pads, proper hockey gloves and shin guards will also dramatically reduce the risk of injury. Hockey pants are usually not worth the trouble since they interfer with the fit of your sledge. A good hockey jersey may seem like pretty thin protection but in the face of picks and blades it does reduce penetration and allows these items to slip along the surface instead of penetrating.
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