Injuries in Women’s Ice Hockey

Abstract

Ice hockey is a popular collision sport with a growing number of female athletes participating each year. As participation among girls and women continues to increase, it will be important to recognize common injuries occurring during women's games. Despite difference in the rules that prohibit body checking in women's and girls' games, injury profiles are similar to those of their male counterparts. Concussions, contusions, acromioclavicular joint injuries, ligamentous knee injuries, and muscle strains occur during women's ice hockey games, with groin strains accounting for the most common practice injury. This article will review both injury rates and common injuries occurring in women's ice hockey, with a focus on the observed concussion rate and groin injuries.

Epidemiology of Upper Extremity Injuries in NCAA Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey

“…3,4,[10][11][12][13] As a result, current literature does not provide information about the types of UE injuries sustained by ice hockey players or differences in UE injuries between male and female hockey players. 1,3,9,12 The purpose of this study was to describe the epidemiology of UE injuries among male and female collegiate ice hockey players. We hypothesized that male ice hockey players sustain UE injuries more often than their female counterparts given that female hockey players are prohibited from body checking.…”

Comparison of Concussion Rates Between NCAA Division I and Division III Men’s and Women’s Ice Hockey Players

“…It should also be noted that, in general, contact is allowed in both sports. Whereas body checking is deliberate body contact with the intent to remove an opponent from the puck, 1 body contact describes physical contact between players without intent to remove the opponent from the puck. Checking-related concussions comprised a smaller proportion of concussions than player contact.…”

Physical Contact and Suspected Injury Rates in Female versus Male Youth Ice Hockey: A Video-Analysis Study

“…5 Body checking (BC), or high-intensity player-to-player physical contact, is commonly reported to be one of the main mechanisms of injury in youth. 3,4 Body checking is permitted in the elite levels of male youth ice hockey in Canada, beginning at the Under-15 level (U15, ages [13][14]; however, it is prohibited across all levels of female youth ice hockey. 6 Despite this, BC is the mechanism for approximately 20% of injuries, with unintentional player-to-player contacts accounting for over 50% of injuries sustained by female players.…”