A Warm-Up Program to Reduce Injuries in Youth Field Hockey Players: A Quasi-Experiment

Abstract

Context Field hockey is popular worldwide; however, it entails a risk of injury. Injuries hamper players' participation in the sport and impose a burden on public health. Objective To investigate the effectiveness of a structured exercise program among youth field hockey players on the injury rate, severity, and burden. Design Quasi-experimental study. Setting On field during 1 season of field hockey (October 2016 through June 2017). Patients or Other Participants A convenience sample of 22 teams (291 players): 10 teams (135 players, mean age = 11.5 years [95% confidence interval (CI) = 11.2, 11.7 years]) in the intervention group and 12 teams (156 players, mean age = 12.9 years [95% CI = 12.6, 13.2 years]) in the control group. Intervention(s) The Warming-up Hockey program, a sex- and age-specific, structured, evidence-informed warm-up program consisting of a preparation phase (ie, agility and cardiovascular warm-up exercises), movement skills (ie, stability and flexibility exercises), and sport-specific skills (ie, speed and strength exercises in field hockey situations). Participants in the control group performed their usual warm-up routines. Main Outcome Measure(s) Injury rate (ie, the number of injuries per 1000 player-hours of field hockey exposure), severity (ie, days of player time-loss), and burden on athletes' availability to play (ie, days of time loss due to injury per 1000 player-hours of field hockey exposure). Results The injury rate was lower in the intervention group (hazard ratio of 0.64 [95% CI = 0.38, 1.07]); however, this result was not statistically significant. The severity of injuries was similar in both groups (t statistic P = .73). The burden of injuries on players' field hockey participation was lower in the intervention group (difference of 8.42 [95% CI = 4.37, 12.47] days lost per 1000 player-hours of field hockey). Conclusions Exposure to the Warming-up Hockey program was not significantly associated with a lower injury rate. No reduction was observed in the severity of injuries alone; however, the burden of injuries on players' field hockey participation was lower in the intervention group.

Epidemiology of Sports-Related Injuries and Associated Risk Factors in Adolescent Athletes: An Injury Surveillance

“…Likewise, performing adequate warm-ups had a significant negative correlation with ID, ISS, and IR. This result coincides with similar studies carried out with adolescents [ 45 , 46 , 47 ]. Therefore, based on the current evidence, and considering that one of the warm-up’s main objectives is to prevent sports injuries, it seems clear that warm-up is a crucial aspect in reducing injury risk.…”

The knowledge and attitudes of field hockey athletes to injury, injury reporting and injury prevention: A qualitative study

“…To date, injury prevention research has focused almost solely on physical preparedness, with many studies investigating the efficacy of warm-ups 15 , as well as strengthening 16 in reducing the incidence rates of injuries. Such interventions are mainly informed by the "sequence of prevention", a four-stage model for preventing sporting injury 1 .…”

Sports injuries and illnesses at the Lausanne 2020 Youth Olympic Winter Games: a prospective study of 1783 athletes from 79 countries

“…Successful, effective injury risk reduction strategies have been employed previously in youth sport in rugby, ice hockey, field hockey and soccer. [51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58] The experiences of young patients with ACL injuries tells a picture of a diminished chance of making it to elite level competition. [59] We have often heard of the story of the friend, or young athlete, whose promising career was cut short by such an injury.…”