Epidemiology of Rink Hockey-Related Injuries

Abstract

Context: Determining the rate of injuries related to a certain sport is accepted as the primary step toward designing, implementing, and evaluating injury prevention programs. The aim of this study was to examine the injuries sustained by semiprofessional Spanish rink hockey players and to compare data per playing position. Design: Observational and retrospective. Methods: Athletes from 21 teams were surveyed via a self-reported questionnaire to screen for incidence, injury burden, location, tissue, and onset of injuries. Results: Overall, 101 time loss injuries were reported across 22,241 hours of exposure, giving rise to an incidence rate of 4.5/1000 hours. The main body regions injured were the hip/groin, shoulder, thigh, and head, accounting altogether for 47.5% of all injuries. Musculotendinous injuries were the most frequent, comprising 27.7% of all injuries. Incidence accounted for 3.1/1000 hours during training and 23/1000 hours during games (P < .001). A high number of injuries were caused by contact (46.5%). No differences were found for any of the variables analyzed between outfield players and goalkeepers. Conclusion: The injury incidence in rink hockey is moderate, occurring mainly due to a contact mechanism. Preventative measurements should be implemented in rink hockey with a special concern for injuries affecting the hip/groin and head.

Time-loss Injuries among Female and Male Spanish Rink Hockey Players

“…The muscle and tendinous injuries were the most frequent in this localization, with the thigh adductor muscles being the most frequently affected. These data confirm those of previous studies [9,13,30] that the adductor muscles are most frequently affected in skating sports. These can be explained by the role of adductor muscles in the stabilization of hip and pelvis during hip flexion in lateral sliding, with a flexion and internal rotation of the thigh [31] On the other hand, the latter present a lower incidence of hamstring injuries than in other sports such as soccer or field hockey.…”

“…The most frequent localization of injuries was in the lower limb, more specifically, the groin/thigh area. The same tendency has been reported in other studies on RH 11 13 and other skating sports 28 29 . The muscle and tendinous injuries were the most frequent in this localization, with the thigh adductor muscles being the most frequently affected.…”

“…Epidemiological studies are scarce around RH [11]. However, recent studies have been published describing injuries in international tournaments [1], Spanish national competitions [12], and amateur competitions [13,14]. In general, time-loss injuries (TLI) can affect athletes' health and performance [15] and may influence teams' success and economy [16].…”

High Prevalence of Seasonal and Current Groin Problems in Rink Hockey Players

“…High prevalence of seasonal groin problems has been historically associated to football or ice hockey, due to their multidirectional nature [1,22]. Recent investigations have shown that groin pain is similar in elite and amateur rink hockey athletes [7,23].…”

“…High prevalence of seasonal groin problems has been historically associated with football/soccer or ice hockey, due to their multidirectional nature 1 22 . Recent investigations have shown that groin pain is similar in elite and amateur rink hockey athletes 7 23 . Fifty-three percent of adult male ice hockey and football players suffer groin problems annually 11 12 , which is almost identical to the 50% observed in this cohort of senior players (both genders).…”