Epidemiology of injuries in elite female rink hockey players: A two season observational study

Marcos Quintana-Cepedal; Isaac Roces-Vila; Miguel Del Valle; Hugo Olmedillas

doi:10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.02.002

Epidemiology of injuries in elite female rink hockey players: A two season observational study

Phys Ther Sport. 2024 Feb 15:67:7-12. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.02.002. Online ahead of print.

Authors

Marcos Quintana-Cepedal¹, Isaac Roces-Vila², Miguel Del Valle³, Hugo Olmedillas⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain; Asturian Research Group in Performance, Readaptation, Training, and Health (ASTUres), Oviedo, Spain.
² Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
³ Asturian Research Group in Performance, Readaptation, Training, and Health (ASTUres), Oviedo, Spain; Department of Cellular Morphology and Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain.
⁴ Department of Functional Biology, University of Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain; Asturian Research Group in Performance, Readaptation, Training, and Health (ASTUres), Oviedo, Spain. Electronic address: olmedillashugo@uniovi.es.

PMID: 38394829
DOI: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2024.02.002

Abstract

Objectives: To record the time-loss injuries of female rink hockey players and describe the affected region, tissue, and onset of injury.

Design: Cross-sectional survey study.

Setting: First (Ok Liga) and Second (Plata) division clubs.

Participants: 280 player-seasons.

Main outcome measures: Incidence of overall, training, and match injuries (number of injuries per 1000 h) from two seasons.

Results: A total of 229 injuries occurred in 56,438 h of exposure. The overall incidence was 4 injuries per 1000 h (4/1000 h), with a significantly higher rate of injuries during matches (15.2/1000 h) compared to training sessions (2.6/1000 h) (p < 0.001). Injuries affecting the lower limb were the most common (2.3/1000 h), followed by upper limb (1.2/1000 h), and head/trunk (0.6/1000 h). The tissue with the highest incidence of injury was the muscle/tendon (1.3/1000 h), followed by the ligament (0.8/1000 h). Around one in every three injuries (31%) affected either the thigh or hip/groin (73 injuries).

Conclusions: The injury incidence in elite female rink hockey is moderate and occurs mainly during match sessions. Preventative measurements should be implemented in rink hockey with a special concern for injuries affecting the thigh, and hip/groin.

Keywords: Athletic injury; Groin pain; Hamstring strain injury; Women in sport.