Injuries in Youth Ice Hockey: A Pilot Surveillance Strategy
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MATERIAL AND METHODS
The study was approved by the Mayo Clinic Institutional Review Board before it was introduced at team meetings to parents, players, and coaches of four competitive traveling teams at the Bantam, Peewee, and Squirt levels of participation. These teams represented their youth hockey association in league and nonleague play throughout Minnesota. All players and parents voluntarily completed the informed consent forms, and players participated in a preseason screening physical examination. This
RESULTS
The biographic and physical examination data were analyzed for differences between the age-groups (Table 1). Height, weight, sexual maturity rating, flexibility, heart rate, and number of years in hockey were compared by using the Student t test. This compilation provided information on players at various age levels. Bantam and Peewee players did not differ in resting heart rate; however, Bantam players had significantly higher values for all other physical categories than did players at the
DISCUSSION
The potential for injury in ice hockey has been attributed to physical, behavioral, biomechanical, and equipment factors.6 High-impact collisions with the boards, ice, and opposing players are common. Sim and Chao7 measured sliding speeds of 24 km/h (15 mph) with use of high-speed cinematography. Noncontact forces during skating were estimated at 1.5 to 2.5 times the body weight; thus, rapid changes in acceleration and deceleration can result in soft tissue trauma. The hockey puck maximal
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
We thank coaches Kirk Gill, Will Fish, Mike Lauritzen, and Tom Taylor for their diligence and interest in this project. We are indebted to the players and their parents, who willingly participated and conscientiously reported any injuries that occurred.
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Cited by (0)
This study was supported in part by the Mayo Foundation and the Rochester Youth Hockey Foundation.
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Current address: University of California Medical School, Irvine, California.