Factors associated with significant injuries in youth ice hockey players

Study objective: To assess the implementation of published injury preventio n strategies in injured youth ice hockey players, to examine factors contri buting to current youth ice hockey injuries, and to assess attitudes of par ticipants toward injury-risk activities. Methods: Case series describing a convenience sample of 103 children presen ting to a children's hospital emergency department with an injury sustained playing youth ice hockey. Using a questionnaire, patients self-reported th eir compliance with protective equipment guidelines, the circumstances of i njury, and their attitudes toward risk-taking in youth ice hockey. Results: A total of 103 patients suffered 113 injuries. For each piece of r equired equipment, compliance approached 100%, penalties were assigned on 4 % of plays causing injury. An additional 36% of patients injured during gam e play felt that a penalty should have been assigned. Fifty-seven percent o f injuries were caused by checking. Fifty-eight percent of injuries caused by checking met our criteria for significant injury. Significant injury was more likely when initiating or receiving a check perceived to be legal tha n when receiving a check perceived as illegal (P = 0.032). Twenty-four perc ent of patients stated spinal cord injury and 45% stated brain injury was n ot possible given their usual protective equipment, To win, 32% of patients stated that they would check illegally, and 6% stated that they would purp osely injure. Conclusion: While compliance with protective-equipment requirements was goo d, rule enforcement was perceived to be inadequate. Elimination of checking would potentially reduce the number of significant injuries more than woul d the enforcement of existing rules. Injured youth hockey players are under -informed about the hazards of their sport and are too willing to engage in potentially injurious activities.