Injuries in world junior ice hockey championships between 2006 and 2015

Abstract

Championship and under-18 (WJ U18) Championship were collected over a 9-year period using a strict injury definition, a standardised injury reporting system and diagnoses made by a team physician. Results 633 injuries were recorded in 1326 games over a 9-year period, resulting in an injury rate (IR) of 11.0 per 1000 player-games and 39.8/1000 playergame hours. The IRs in all tournaments were 4.3/1000 player-games for the head and face, 3.2 for the upper body, 2.6 for the lower body and 1.0 for the spine and trunk. A laceration was the most common injury type followed by a sprain. Lacerations accounted for 80% (IR 3.6) of facial injuries in WJ U20 tournaments. The shoulder was the most common injury site (IR 2.0) in WJ U18 tournaments. Board contact was the mechanism for 59% of these shoulder injuries. Concussion was the most common head and face injury (46%; IR 1.2) in WJ U18 tournaments. Conclusions and recommendations The risk of injury among male junior ice hockey players was lower than the reported rates in adult men but higher than that in women. Facial lacerations were common in U20 junior players (WJ U20) since most wear only partial facial protection (visor). The IR for shoulder injuries was high in U18 junior players (WJ U18). Suggested strategies for injury prevention include full facial protection for all players and flexible board and glass for all junior tournaments. INTRODUCTION Thirty-nine countries competed in the 2015International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Male World Junior under-20 (WJ U20) Championships and 43 in the Male World Junior under-18 (WJ U18) Championships. The IIHF collaborated with the local organising committees to organise the A-pool and three other divisions. Divisions I and II of WJ U20 tournaments and all divisions of WJ U18 tournaments were divided into subgroups A and B. The teams were qualified for the divisions and its subgroups according to IIHF World ranking.Ice hockey is associated with many potential risk factors for injury, such as unintended collisions; high velocity; rapid changes in direction; and contact with the boards, stick or puck.1 Full facial protection is mandatory for players under 18 years old. Partial facial protection (visor) is allowed for junior players aged over 18 years. The ice hockey injury research at other levels of competition has shown that most injuries occur in a game, including lacerations, contusions, sprains and concussions. [2][3][4][5][6] Injuries in junior ice hockey at the international level have scarcely been studied. Knowledge of injuries should help to create effective prevention strategies for reducing the risk of injury, 7 and help organisers plan medical services during tournaments.The aim of the present study was to investigate the incidence, nature, causes, severity and time trend of injuries in the WJ U20 and U18 ice hockey tournaments between 2006 and 2015. , we registered, with permission from the IIHF, all ice hockey injuries from the 69 male junior ice hockey championships. There were 36 WJ U20 and 33 WJ U18 Champions...

Sports injuries and illnesses in the Lillehammer 2016 Youth Olympic Winter Games

“…There has been an increased awareness about concussions in youth sports 42 43 55–57. In Lillehammer, 12 concussions (11% of all injuries) were reported, 5 of them in ice hockey.…”

Verletzungen im Eishockey – Eine retrospektive Fragebogenerhebung bei Zweitliga-Amateur-Eishockeyspielern des Kantons Bern (Schweiz)

“…Der Verletzungsschweregrad orientierte sich an der Anzahl der Tage, an denen die Spieler nicht am Training oder an Wettkämpfen teilnehmen konnten [11,13,14]. In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurde zwischen "weniger als 1 Woche", "zwischen 1 und 2 Wochen", "zwischen 2 und 4 Wochen" und "> 4 Wochen" differenziert.…”

“…Mit 17,9 % der Verletzungen war das Kniegelenk am häufigsten betroffen. Dieses Resultat deckt sich mit der in der Literatur beschriebenen Verletzungslokalisation bei Eishockeyspielern [13,14,16,18,19]. 2 Studien [14,16] rapportierten Werte von Knieverletzungen zwischen 33 % und 47 %.…”

“…In 2 Studien waren Kopfverletzungen weniger prävalent [4,13]. In den Studien von Tuominen et al [14,16] waren Kopfverletzungen jeweils prävalent für 40 %. Dieser Unterschied kann teilweise durch Nutzung unterschiedlicher Verletzungsdefinitionen erklärt werden [4].…”

Concussion in the international ice hockey World Championships and Olympic Winter Games between 2006 and 2015

“…This study is the first to report that the risk of concussion is lower when flexible boards and glass are in use. Installation of flexible board and glass is highly recommended to decrease the risk of concussion and shoulder injuries in all future tournaments, especially in WS and WJ U18 tournaments, where the IRs for shoulder injuries and concussions occurred contact with board were highest 27 29…”