<p>A Systematic Review of the Orthopedic Literature Involving National Hockey League Players</p>

Abstract

Background: Orthopedic injuries of National Hockey League (NHL) players are common and may significantly affect players' health and careers. Evidence-based injury management is important in guiding players' timely return to sport and their ability to play at their preinjury levels of competition. Purpose: To summarize all data published between January 1980 and March 2020 on orthopedic injuries experienced by professional ice hockey players competing in the NHL. Study Design: Systematic review. Methods: A literature review of studies examining orthopedic injuries in the NHL was performed using the Embase, PubMed, and CINAHL databases. The review included studies focusing on NHL players and players attending the NHL Combine and preseason NHL team camps. Studies pertaining to non-orthopedic injuries and case reports were excluded. Results: A total of 39 articles met the inclusion criteria and were analyzed. The articles were divided by anatomic site of injury for further analysis: hip and pelvis (24%), general/other (14%), ankle (10%), knee (10%), foot (7%), shoulder (7%), thigh (7%), trunk (7%), spine (6%), elbow (4%), and hand and wrist (4%). The majority of articles were Level IV Evidence (51.3%), followed by Level III Evidence (38.5%). Most studies obtained data from publicly available internet resources (24.7%), player medical records (19.5%) or surveys of team physicians and athletic trainers (15.5%). A much smaller number of studies utilized the NHL Injury Surveillance System (NHLISS) (6.5%) or the Athlete Health Management System (AHMS) (2.6%). Conclusion: This systematic review provides NHL team physicians with a single source of the current literature regarding orthopedic injuries in NHL players. Most research was published on hip and pelvis (24%) injuries, did not utilize the NHLISS and consisted of Level IV Evidence.

Reduced Career Longevity but Return to Baseline Performance After Arthroscopic Shoulder Labral Repair in National Hockey League Players

“…1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 Shoulder injuries are among the most common upper extremity injuries among hockey players 6 and comprise 10% to 12% of injuries in National Hockey League (NHL) players. 7 These shoulder pathologies consist of acromioclavicular joint sprains, subluxations, dislocations, rotator cuff tears, and glenoid labral tears. Compared with recreational athletes, professional hockey players endure greater physical demands and are increasingly interested in returning to play quickly while also performing at an elite level.…”

Women and Men National Collegiate Athletic Association Ice Hockey Players Were Similarly Likely to Suffer Lumbar Spine Injuries

“…As checking presents a major source of injury, one would expect this regulation to result in lower injury rates in women’s ice hockey compared to men. 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 One potential explanation of how women’s ice hockey players suffer equal rates of LSIs compared to men despite more restrictive safety regulations is that the regulations are ineffective at preventing checking and resulting contact injuries. This theory would align with prior research, indicating that player-contact remains the prevailing cause of injury in women’s hockey, yet it is not supported by our data.…”

“…1 Ice hockey is known for its high-speed collisions, and injury is a common occurrence, particularly for women. 2 , 3 , 4 Between 2009 and 2014, injuries occurred at rates of 9.5 and 6.1 per 1,000 athlete exposures (AE) in women’s and men’s college hockey, respectively (an AE representing any student participation in one NCAA-sanctioned practice or competition). 1 These represent particularly high injury rates within college athletics: only men’s football, men’s wrestling, and women’s gymnastics saw higher injury rates per 1,000 AEs.…”

“…6 , 7 , 8 , 9 LSIs can persist and lead to significant morbidity or missed participation, and proper, timely treatment of these injuries is essential to recovery. 2 , 9 Prior work comparing rates of LSIs across 25 NCAA sports suggests that LSIs occur more commonly in ice hockey than the majority of other college sports. 10 Comparing men’s sports, only tennis saw higher rates of LSIs.…”

“… 8 The finding that men and women face similar risk of back injury is somewhat surprising as women’s college ice hockey does not allow for body checking, a major source of injury. 2 , 3 , 6 , 7 There is also a paucity of work exploring why, despite more restrictive regulations, women ice hockey players suffer similar rates of injury compared to men. Although sex-specific epidemiology of LSIs has been examined in other college sports such as basketball, the literature describing these injuries in hockey players is sparce.…”