Smith, Aynsley M.

Eighty-six male high school ice hockey players partic ipated in this prospective study to determine both the incidence of injury in high school ice hockey and the influence of physical, situational, and psychosocial fac tors. Physical factors included height, weight, vision, previous injuries, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and injuries present at the time of screening evaluations. Situational factors examined were level of participa tion, playing time, player position, and games versus practices. Psychosocial factors such as confidence, stress, social support, positive states of mind, and mood states were also examined to determine their influences on injury. Twenty-seven injuries occurred during the 1994 to 1995 season. As hypothesized, the overall incidence of injury in high school hockey games (34.4 per 1000 player-game hours) was less than the incidence of injury in Junior A hockey (96.1 per 1000 player-game hours) and was more than previously re ported for Bantam youth hockey (10.9 per 1000 player- game hours). Injuries occurred more often in games than in practices, usually as a result of collisions. Phys ical factors such as player position and previous inju ries did not significantly predict injuries, but players in the high playing time group were more likely to be injured. Psychosocial factors of low vigor and high fatigue as measured by the Incredibly Short Profile of Mood States (ISPOMS) significantly predicted high school ice hockey injuries.

This 3-year prospective cohort observational analysis of elite amateur hockey players ranging in age from 17 to 20 years on a United States Hockey League team de scribes ice hockey injuries using a strict definition of injury, standardized reporting strategies, and diagnosis by a team physician. One hundred forty-two injuries were recorded for an on-ice injury rate of 9.4 per 1000 player hours. A player was 25 times more likely to be injured in a game (96.1 per 1000 player-game hours) than in practice (3.9 per 1000 player-practice hours). Game-related injuries were more frequent in the third period, and practice-related injuries occurred more of ten in the first third of the season. Collisions represented 51% of the total injuries. The most common types of injuries were strains, lacerations, contusions, and sprains. The face and the shoulder were most fre quently injured. A facial laceration was the most com mon injury; acromioclavicular joint sprain was the sec ond most common injury. Facial lacerations typically occurred in games and were stick related. Further re search is necessary to determine if injuries in Junior A amateur ice hockey can be reduced by mandatory full facial protection, enforcement of existing rules, im provement in shoulder pad design, and by focusing more attention on stretching programs.