[Injuries in Ice Hockey: A Questionnaire Survey in Second League Amateur Ice Hockey Players in the Canton of Bern (Switzerland)].

BACKGROUND

High speed, fights at the hard boarder or contact with the puck, hockey sticks or skates may cause injuries in ice hockey players. Precise knowledge of epidemiologic data is needed for adequate prevention of hockey injuries and to plan their management. In Switzerland, to date, such epidemiological data are not available for amateur ice hockey. The aim of this study was to evaluate injury frequency, injury location, type of injury, injury severity and injury mechanisms, prevention measures and access to care in case of injury in second division amateur ice hockey teams of the Canton of Bern.

SUBJECTS/METHODOLOGY: This descriptive study was conducted using a retrospective, self-reported questionnaire at the end of the 2017/18 season. Anthropometric characteristics, training and competition volume, injury frequency, injury location, type of injury, injury severity, injury mechanisms and preventive measures as well as access to clinical care in case of injury were assessed.

RESULTS

Eighty-six out of 96 questionnaires could be evaluated. During the previous 12 months, 44 players were injured once and five players were injured twice. The injury frequency during training was 0.7 injuries per 1000 hours; during competition it was 4.7 per 1000 hours. The four most often reported injury locations were knee (17.9 %), foot (14.3 %), head (12.5 %) and shoulder (10.7 %). Injuries were mainly produced by external factors. Distortions, fractures and contusions were the most common types of injuries. Nineteen injuries resulted in a break of more than four weeks ("severe injury").

CONCLUSION

The injury frequency was 6.35 times higher during competition as compared with training. Half of all injuries were located in the lower limb. Nineteen injuries were classified as "severe". Injuries were mainly produced by external factors. Possible prevention measures include promoting fair play, adapting the rules of the game, promoting the use of protective equipment, practising peripheral vision, and strengthening the trunk and leg muscles. To increase the comparability of such studies, the use of standardised definitions concerning "injury" and "injury severity" is necessary.