Medical Team Perspectives on Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Male and Female Ice Hockey Players

Официальное название

Medical Team Perspectives on Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Ice Hockey: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Male and Female Players

Обзор

This is a cross-sectional survey study investigating how medical team staff in elite Swedish ice hockey perceive hand and wrist injuries in male and female players. Hand and wrist injuries are common in ice hockey and can affect both performance and participation. While injury registries describe how often these injuries occur, less is known about how they are managed and prioritised in daily clinical practice, or whether there are differences in perception between medical teams working in male and female elite leagues. In this study, physiotherapists and team physicians working in Swedish elite ice hockey (including SHL, HockeyAllsvenskan, and SDHL) will complete a structured questionnaire. The survey examines perceptions of injury frequency, underreporting, functional impact, clinical management strategies, and return-to-play decision-making related to hand and wrist injuries. The aim is to better understand how medical teams experience and manage these injuries in real-world elite sport settings, and to identify potential gaps between epidemiological data and clinical practice. The study may help inform future injury prevention strategies, improve clinical decision-making, and support the development of more standardized management approaches in elite ice hockey. No interventions or treatments are performed in this study.

Подробное описание

This is a cross-sectional survey study designed to investigate how medical team staff in elite Swedish ice hockey perceive the burden, clinical relevance, and management of hand and wrist injuries in male and female players.

Hand and wrist injuries represent a substantial proportion of injuries in ice hockey and are known to affect both short-term performance and participation. While epidemiological data from injury surveillance systems and registry-based studies provide important information on incidence, injury type, and mechanisms, these data primarily reflect medically recorded or time-loss injuries. As a result, they may not fully capture ongoing symptoms, subclinical functional limitations, or injuries managed conservatively without formal reporting. This may create a gap between observed injury epidemiology and the clinical reality experienced by team medical staff.

To explore this gap, the study targets physiotherapists and physicians working within elite Swedish ice hockey organizations, including teams from the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), HockeyAllsvenskan, and the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). Participants will complete a structured 13-item questionnaire distributed during scheduled medical staff meetings. The questionnaire is completed anonymously and individually.

The survey includes domains addressing perceived frequency and severity of hand and wrist injuries, perceived underreporting of symptoms, functional consequences during training and competition, and clinical management strategies including rehabilitation approaches and return-to-play decision-making. Additional items explore perceived variability in practice and areas where improved clinical guidelines or standardized approaches may be needed.

Responses consist of categorical and ordinal variables and are analyzed descriptively. The study is exploratory in nature and aims to characterize patterns in clinical perception rather than test predefined hypotheses.

All data are collected at a single time point, and no follow-up assessments, interventions, or clinical procedures are performed. Data are fully anonymized, and no identifiable team- or individual-level information is recorded. The study is intended to complement existing epidemiological and registry-based research by providing insight into clinical decision-making and perception within elite ice hockey medical teams.

Первичные конечные точки

• Perceived Injury Burden Based on Time-Loss Ranking of Injury Locations [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]

Вторичные конечные точки (10)

• Frequency of Playing With Hand and Wrist Symptoms [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Frequency of Hand and Wrist Symptoms Without Formal Diagnosis [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Perceived Extent of Underreporting of Hand and Wrist Injuries [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Type of Hand and Wrist Problems Perceived as Underreported [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Functional Impact of Hand and Wrist Injuries [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Consistency of Return-to-Play Decisions [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Presence of Standardized Management Approach for Hand and Wrist Injuries [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Perceived Performance Impact Ranking of Injury Locations [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Frequency of Participation With Hand and Wrist Symptoms [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]
• Frequency of Hand and Wrist Symptoms Without Formal Diagnosis [Срок оценки: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)]

Критерии участия

Критерии включения

• Physiotherapists working with elite ice hockey teams in Sweden (SHL, HockeyAllsvenskan, SDHL)
• Team physicians working with elite ice hockey teams in Sweden (SHL, HockeyAllsvenskan, SDHL)
• Massage therapists and sports massage practitioners working with elite ice hockey teams in Sweden
• Athletic trainers and performance staff involved in player health and injury management in elite ice hockey teams in Sweden
• Currently active in a medical or performance support role within a participating elite ice hockey team during the study period
• Able to understand and complete the questionnaire in Swedish or English Provides informed consent

Критерии исключения

• Refusal to participate
• Not currently active in a medical, therapeutic, or performance support role within elite ice hockey during the study period

Критерии приведены из реестра в оригинале (на английском). Окончательную оценку соответствия проводит исследовательский центр.

Здоровые добровольцы: Нет

Дизайн исследования

Модель наблюдения

Другое

Центры проведения

Швеция · 1 центр

• Center for Clinical Research Dalarna, Uppsala University — Falun

Публикации

• Clarsen B, Myklebust G, Bahr R. Development and validation of a new method for the registration of overuse injuries in sports injury epidemiology: the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) overuse injury questionnaire. Br J Sports Med. 2013 May;47(8):495-502. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2012-091524. Epub 2012 Oct 4. PMID 23038786
• Aman M, Forssblad M, Henriksson-Larsen K. Incidence and severity of reported acute sports injuries in 35 sports using insurance registry data. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2016 Apr;26(4):451-62. doi: 10.1111/sms.12462. Epub 2015 Apr 8. PMID 25850826
• Gotlin MJ, Minhas SV, Buchalter DB, Feder OI, Alaia MJ, Jazrawi LM. Performance and Return to Sport After Hand, Wrist, and Forearm Fractures in the National Hockey League. Arthrosc Sports Med Rehabil. 2020 Sep 25;2(5):e505-e510. doi: 10.1016/j.asmr.2020.05.013. eCollection 2020 Oct. PMID 33134987
• Tuominen M, Stuart MJ, Aubry M, Kannus P, Parkkari J. Injuries in men's international ice hockey: a 7-year study of the International Ice Hockey Federation Adult World Championship Tournaments and Olympic Winter Games. Br J Sports Med. 2015 Jan;49(1):30-6. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2014-093688. Epub 2014 Oct 7. PMID 25293341
• Worner T, Kauppinen S, Eek F. Injury patterns in Swedish elite female and male ice hockey - A cross-sectional comparison of past-season's injuries. Phys Ther Sport. 2024 Jan;65:83-89. doi: 10.1016/j.ptsp.2023.12.001. Epub 2023 Dec 8. PMID 38091928

Идентификаторы

NCT: NCT07586085 · EPM 2026-03227-01

Первоисточники (государственные реестры)

• ClinicalTrials.gov (NIH, США)

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