PREDICTORS OF INJURY IN ICE HOCKEY PLAYERS - A MULTIVARIATE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY APPROACH

Eighty-six male high school ice hockey players participated in this pr ospective study to determine both the incidence of injury in high scho ol ice hockey and the influence of physical, situational, and psychoso cial factors. Physical factors included height, weight, vision, previo us injuries, musculoskeletal abnormalities, and injuries present at th e time of screening evaluations. Situational factors examined were lev el of participation, playing time, player position, and games versus p ractices. Psychosocial factors such as confidence, stress, social supp ort, positive states of mind, and mood states were also examined to de termine their influences on injury. Twenty-seven injuries occurred dur ing the 1994 to 1995 season. As hypothesized, the overall incidence of injury in high school hockey games (34.4 per 1000 player-game hours) was less than the incidence of injury in Junior A hockey (96.1 per 100 0 player-game hours) and was more than previously reported for Bantam youth hockey (10.9 per 1000 player-game hours). Injuries occurred more often in games than in practices, usually as a result of collisions. Physical factors such as player position and previous injuries did not significantly predict injuries, but players in the high playing time group were more likely to be injured. Psychosocial factors of low vigo r and high fatigue as measured by the Incredibly Short Profile of Mood States (ISPOMS) significantly predicted high school ice hockey injuri es.