Ringette-Related Injuries in Young Female Players

Abstract

Even though all types of contact are forbidden in ringette, our research showed that in minor leagues, a significant proportion of the injuries were caused by body contact. As with regular ice hockey, enforcing policies regarding contacts, use of proper equipment, good maintenance (ice conditions should be checked regularly), and proper skill training should help diminish these types of injuries.

High Injury and Concussion Rates in Female Youth Team Sport: An Opportunity for Prevention

“…To our knowledge, only one study has investigated injury epidemiology in girls' ringette, reporting the head as the most common injury location, approximately 30% of injuries. [29] This is consistent with our finding of 33.3% of most serious injuries sustained in ringette being head injuries. We speculate that although player to player contact is allowed in the course of play, bodychecking (i.e., intentional forceful contact to stop an attack and/or separate the opponent from the puck) is prohibited in ringette most injuries and in particular concussions can be attributed to contact with another player.…”

“…Injury and concussion rates were high in ringette. To our knowledge, only one study has investigated injury epidemiology in girls’ ringette, reporting the head as the most common injury location, approximately 30% of injuries 29 . This is consistent with our finding of 33.3% of most serious injuries sustained in ringette being head injuries.…”

“…In a Canadian emergency room database, 30.2% of reported ringette-related injuries in young female players included a concussion or suspected concussion, but no further evidence regarding concussion in youth female ringette has been reported. [29] In female rugby union, 27 concussions/1000 player-hours was estimated, representing 50% of all injuries occurring in the sport. [31] There is a lack of homogeneity across findings when we compare our results with current literature.…”

“…While our concussion rates were highest in ringette, rugby, and field hockey, the female-specific concussion studies published in these sports are largely limited in study design. In a Canadian emergency room database, 30.2 % of reported ringette-related injuries in young female players included a concussion or suspected concussion, but no further evidence regarding concussion in youth female ringette has been reported [29]. In female rugby union, 27 concussions/1000 player-hours was estimated, representing 50 % of all injuries occurring in the sport [31].…”

Higher Rates of Head Contacts, Body Checking, and Suspected Injuries in Ringette Than Female Ice Hockey: Time to Ring in Opportunities for Prevention

“…3,4 Body checking (ie, intentional forceful contact to stop an attack or separate the opponent from the puck/ring 5 ) is prohibited in both ringette and female ice hockey, however previous research demonstrates that contact with another player (either intentional or unintentional) is the primary mechanism of injury. 6,7 In a study investigating the epidemiology of sport-related injuries reporting to Canadian emergency departments, female ringette and ice hockey players had the highest proportion of sport-related injuries diagnosed as concussions (17.1% and 13.3%, respectively). 3 Further, a cross-sectional survey among high school students (ages [14][15][16][17][18][19] reported that ringette had the highest concussions rate (19.05 concussions/100 students/year) compared to all other youth sports, including male ice hockey (17.20 concussions/100 students/year).…”