Prevalence and Burden of Health Problems in Male Elite Ice Hockey Players: A Prospective Study in the Norwegian Professional League

Abstract

Background: As previous epidemiological studies in elite ice hockey have focused on acute time-loss injuries, little is known about the burden of overuse injuries and illnesses in ice hockey. Purpose: To report the prevalence and burden of all health problems in male professional ice hockey players in Norway during a single competitive season. Study Design: Descriptive epidemiological study. Methods: A total of 225 male ice hockey players in the GET League (the premier professional league) in Norway reported all health problems (acute injuries, overuse injuries, and illnesses) during the 2017-2018 competitive season. Players reported all injuries and illnesses for 31 weeks using the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Center Questionnaire on Health Problems. Results: At any given time, 40% (95% CI, 37%-43%) of players reported symptoms from an injury or illness, and 20% (95% CI, 19%-22%) experienced health problems with a substantial negative impact on training and performance. Acute injuries represented the greatest incidence, prevalence, and burden (defined as the cross-product of severity and incidence). The most burdensome acute injuries were to the head/face, shoulder/clavicle, knee, and ankle. The most burdensome overuse injuries were to the knee, lumbar spine, and hip/groin. Conclusion: This registration captured a greater burden from overuse injuries than traditional injury registration, but acute injuries did represent a major problem. These data provide guidance in the development of prevention programs for both acute and overuse injuries, which should focus on the lumbar spine, hip/groin, and knee.

The Football Association Injury and Illness Surveillance Study: The Incidence, Burden and Severity of Injuries and Illness in Men’s and Women’s International Football

“…A potential reason for the relative lack of gradual onset injuries in international football could be that players are not selected for their international team if they are experiencing the early symptoms of what could be a gradual onset injury. The onset of injury is however difficult to compare between studies, due to the difficultly in confirming injury onset; in some cases, the onset could be a combination of acute and gradual and exist on a continuum [ 36 ]. This subjective nature of categorisation could lead to a difference of opinion amongst practitioners, which could be further exacerbated in club football where medical teams mainly work independently of each other.…”

“…However, there is a lack of consistency in the reporting of injury causation in women’s football. Guidelines on the collection and reporting of injury surveillance information [ 36 ] need to be adhered to before consensuses can be made and preventative strategies can be employed. The present study does however, for the first time, provide an insight into the severity and onset of injuries across 8 seasons of women’s international football.…”

“…Amendments were made when recording severity, where injuries greater than 28 days but less than 90 days were categorised as severe, and injuries greater than 90 days were categorised as major. In line with the recent International Olympic Committee Consensus Statement [ 36 ], injuries of 7 days or less were categorised as minor (Table 2 ). Amendments were also made when recording cause of injury, where cumulative injuries were reported as well as contact and non-contact injuries, given that cumulative injuries are frequently reported in applied practice.…”

“…The severity of injuries and illnesses was defined by the number of days that the player was unable to take part in regular training or match-play. To categorise injury severity, the following thresholds were adhered to: 1–7 days absence (minor), 8–28 days (moderate), 29–89 days (severe), and ≥ 90 days (major); based on previous research [ 35 , 36 ].…”

The Prevalence of Injuries and Traumas in Elite Goalball Players

“…Following the definition of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), we assumed that sports injury is "damage to body tissue resulting from practising a sport or exercise" and we also used the time of absence from training and competitions as a criterion for classification of injury. However, we considered traumas to be the consequences of sporting events that had affected the musculoskeletal system or caused a concussion and had been classified as a disease manifested by general symptoms from body systems and organs [10][11][12].…”