Curling Injuries: Falls, Helmets, Knees, Hips, Back and Shoulders

This article contains affiliate links: if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. Learn more.

Thursday night league, sixth end. You step off the hack to grab your broom, your gripper catches a pebbled patch, then your slider foot doesn’t, and for a split second there’s nothing under you but ice. Most curlers have a story like that, and most of them end with a laugh and a bruise. Some don’t. Curling is one of the gentler sports on this site, but it’s played on ice by people of every age, from kids in learn-to-curl programs to Olympians to league players in their seventies. This page covers the curling injuries that actually happen: falls and head injuries first, then knees and hips from the delivery and backs and shoulders from sweeping, with what helps prevent them and when to see a professional.

This page is general information, not medical advice. If you’re hurt, see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist (PT) or certified athletic trainer (AT). For the bigger picture of the sport, start at our curling hub.

What the research shows

Curling has only a handful of injury studies, but they point the same way: injuries are uncommon, and the serious ones come from falls.

• Recreational curlers (Canada): a study of emergency-department records in Kingston, Ontario, from 1993 to 2011 found 208 acute curling injuries. Over 90% came from a fall, 31.7% were head impacts, and the records included 37 concussions or closed head injuries and three bleeds inside the skull. Head and wrist/hand injuries together made up 54.3% of the total. Curlers 65 and older had the most injuries of any age group. The overall rate was low, about 0.17 emergency visits per 1,000 times someone went out to curl.
• Competitive curlers (US): in a 2004 survey of 76 curlers at two championship events, 79% reported curling-related aches or pain, most often in the knee (54%), back (33%) and shoulder (20%). Sweeping and delivering the stone were the activities most likely to bring on symptoms.
• Elite curlers: at the 2008 World Men’s Curling Championship, only five injuries were reported all week, about 0.07 per game, and just one kept a player out of a game.

In plain terms: club curlers mostly get hurt by falling, while regular competitive curlers mostly deal with sore knees, backs and shoulders from thousands of deliveries and sweeps.

Falls on the ice and head injuries

Curling ice is pebbled and slick, and your feet don’t match: one shoe grips, the other slides. Most falls happen walking, stepping out of the hack or turning to sweep, not in the delivery itself. Falling backward is the dangerous one, because the back of the head hits the ice first. In the Kingston study, 41.3% of the injured curlers who answered a follow-up survey blamed their fall on not having proper footwear, and the authors’ main recommendation was to require it.

If anyone hits their head, follow the CDC HEADS UP advice: they stop curling for the day, someone watches them for concussion signs (headache, dizziness, confusion, feeling foggy, nausea), and you call 911 for danger signs like a worsening headache, repeated vomiting, slurred speech, unusual drowsiness, one pupil larger than the other or a seizure. A hard fall on an older curler, or anyone on blood thinners, deserves a medical check even if they feel fine. A hand thrown out to break a fall can also break a wrist; AAOS notes that falling onto an outstretched arm is the most common cause of a broken wrist.

Helmets and head protection: who should wear them

Curling Canada can’t make clubs require helmets, but at its own events it says participants 11 and under must wear approved head protection. For everyone 12 and older it strongly recommends head protection, especially for curlers who are new to the sport or not yet steady on the ice, and it highly recommends it for renters, “funspiel” players and seniors 65 and older. Its preferred options are CSA-approved helmets made for ice or snow (hockey, snowboard or full curling helmets), with curling toques or caps that have a tested impact insert and a chinstrap as acceptable second choices. Whatever you wear, fasten the chinstrap.

A helmet won’t prevent every concussion, but it can reduce the chance of a skull fracture or bleed. Curling-specific headgear like Goldline’s Head First ear-warmer band hides a foam insert inside a knit band; Goldline says no test standard exists for curling headgear, so it used the impact test from the CSA hockey helmet standard and passed it, and the insert must be replaced after any fall. A full helmet like the Asham Universal Curling Helmet covers the front, back and sides. If you’re new, over 65, have balance problems or have had a concussion before, wearing one is simply smart.

Knees and hips from the delivery

The delivery is a long, low lunge: the sliding knee folds deep under your chest while the trailing leg stretches out behind, and you hold that position while you glide. Repeat it eight times a game, plus practice throws, and the knee and hip take the load. That’s why the knee topped the list in the US survey.

• Toe slide vs flat-foot slide. In a 2017 pilot study of 12 curlers, the force at the tucked knee was more than double when sliding on the toe than when sliding flat-footed, because the body weight sat further forward over the knee. A 2025 study of 16 elite curlers also found that the toe slide put more load through the hip and knee. The authors suggest curlers consider a flat-foot slide if they can throw just as well with it.
• Front-of-knee pain that’s worse on stairs, kneeling or squatting fits what AAOS calls patellofemoral pain. AAOS points to weak thigh and hip muscles as contributors and to strengthening them as treatment.
• Trailing knee and hip. The trailing knee can drag or bang on the ice, and the trailing hip is stretched hard. A knee pad or trailing-leg stabilizer protects the knee, and hip mobility work makes the position easier (see our curling training page).
• Can’t get down anymore? A delivery stick lets you throw standing up, which spares a sore knee or hip. Many clubs and leagues allow it; check your league’s rules.

Back and shoulders from sweeping

Hard sweeping is short, intense work: you lean over the broom, push down with your body weight and scrub as fast as you can while walking or running down the sheet. A 2009 sports science review of curling describes it as highly demanding. The bent-over, twisted position loads the low back, and the repeated push-pull loads the shoulders. AAOS describes rotator cuff tendinitis as pain and stiffness when lifting the arm, often worse at night, and notes that most low back pain settles with time and activity changes. Switching the side you sweep on, keeping your hips square to the broom instead of twisting, and building trunk and shoulder strength are the usual coaching answers.

Curling injury prevention

• Grip first, slide second. Wear clean, rubber-soled athletic shoes (never boots or dress shoes) and keep a slip-on gripper like the Goldline Universal Gripper over your slider whenever you’re not delivering. New curlers can wear grippers on both feet.
• Wear head protection if you’re new, young, over 65 or unsteady (see above).
• Warm up off the ice. Five minutes of walking, lunges, hip openers and arm circles before you step on.
• Build leg, hip and trunk strength and balance. The 2009 review recommends resistance, cardio, balance, core and flexibility training for curlers. For older curlers it’s doubly useful: the CDC says about 1 in 4 adults 65 and older fall each year, and weak strength and balance are among the risk factors it targets.
• Protect the knees. Consider a flat-foot slide, a knee pad for the trailing knee and a knee sleeve if your knee likes the support; our best knee sleeves guide compares options.
• Pace your bonspiel weekends. Four or more games in a weekend is a big jump from one league game a week. See our game day and bonspiel day page.

Gear that lowers the risk

Two pieces of curling gear do most of the work, and a knee sleeve helps many curlers with achy knees. The Bauerfeind GenuTrain is a well-known knit knee support with a gel pad around the kneecap; it’s a comfort aid, not a fix for an injury.

When to see a sports medicine doctor, PT or athletic trainer

• Right away (emergency): a head injury with danger signs (worsening headache, repeated vomiting, slurred speech, drowsiness, confusion, seizure), a possible broken wrist or hip, or back pain with leg weakness or loss of bladder or bowel control.
• Same day or next day: any head bump with concussion symptoms, a wrist that’s swollen or painful after a fall, or a knee that locked or gave way in the slide.
• Soon: knee, hip, back or shoulder pain that’s getting worse, keeps coming back each week, or wakes you at night.

A sports medicine physician diagnoses, a PT runs the rehab, and a certified curling coach can adjust your slide and sweeping technique. After a concussion, return to the ice only once a health care provider clears you. See also curling recovery, and our bowling injuries page, another sport with a deep lunge and slips at the line.

Curling injuries: FAQs

What is the most common curling injury?

Among recreational curlers who end up in the emergency room, injuries from falls, especially to the head and the wrist or hand. Among competitive curlers, aches in the knee, back and shoulder from delivering and sweeping are the most common complaints.

Should I wear a helmet to curl?

If you’re a beginner, a child, 65 or older, or not steady on the ice, yes. Curling Canada requires head protection for curlers 11 and under at its events and strongly recommends it for new curlers and highly recommends it for seniors. A CSA-approved ice or snow helmet is its first choice.

Is curling bad for your knees?

It can be hard on them, since the delivery puts the sliding knee in a deep bend. Studies found a toe slide loads the knee more than a flat-foot slide. Strong thighs and hips, a knee pad on the trailing knee and, if needed, a delivery stick all help. Pain that keeps coming back is worth a visit to a sports medicine doctor or PT.

How do I avoid falling when I curl?

Wear clean rubber-soled shoes, keep a gripper over your slider except when you deliver, walk with short steps, and never step on the ice in street boots. In the Canadian study, many injured curlers blamed their fall on footwear.

Why does my back hurt after sweeping?

Hard sweeping holds you bent over and twisted while you push down on the broom. Keeping your hips square, switching sides and strengthening your trunk usually help. See a doctor right away if back pain comes with leg weakness or bladder or bowel changes.