Medical Team Perspectives on Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Ice Hockey: A Cross-Sectional Survey Study in Male and Female Players
Trial Snapshot
- Phase
- Not Applicable
- Status
- Not yet recruiting
- Sponsor
- Enrollment
- 50
- Locations
- 1
Study Overview
Brief Summary
This is a cross-sectional survey study investigating how medical team staff in elite Swedish ice hockey perceive hand and wrist injuries in male and female players.
Hand and wrist injuries are common in ice hockey and can affect both performance and participation. While injury registries describe how often these injuries occur, less is known about how they are managed and prioritised in daily clinical practice, or whether there are differences in perception between medical teams working in male and female elite leagues.
In this study, medical team professionals working with teams in Swedish elite ice hockey (including SHL, HockeyAllsvenskan, and SDHL) will complete a structured questionnaire. This includes all relevant healthcare and medical support professionals within the teams. The survey examines perceptions of injury frequency, underreporting, functional impact, clinical management strategies, and return-to-play decision-making related to hand and wrist injuries.
The aim is to better understand how medical teams experience and manage these injuries in real-world elite sport settings, and to identify potential gaps between epidemiological data and clinical practice. The study may help inform future injury prevention strategies, improve clinical decision-making, and support the development of more standardized management approaches in elite ice hockey.
No interventions or treatments are performed in this study.
Detailed Description
This is a cross-sectional survey study designed to investigate how medical team staff in elite Swedish ice hockey perceive the burden, clinical relevance, and management of hand and wrist injuries in male and female players.
Hand and wrist injuries represent a substantial proportion of injuries in ice hockey and are known to affect both short-term performance and participation. While epidemiological data from injury surveillance systems and registry-based studies provide important information on incidence, injury type, and mechanisms, these data primarily reflect medically recorded or time-loss injuries. As a result, they may not fully capture ongoing symptoms, subclinical functional limitations, or injuries managed conservatively without formal reporting. This may create a gap between observed injury epidemiology and the clinical reality experienced by team medical staff.
To explore this gap, the study targets medical team professionals working within elite Swedish ice hockey organizations, including teams from the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), HockeyAllsvenskan, and the Swedish Women's Hockey League (SDHL). Participants will complete a structured questionnaire distributed during scheduled medical staff meetings. The questionnaire is completed anonymously and individually.
The survey includes domains addressing perceived frequency and severity of hand and wrist injuries, perceived underreporting of symptoms, functional consequences during training and competition, and clinical management strategies including rehabilitation approaches and return-to-play decision-making. Additional items explore perceived variability in practice and areas where improved clinical guidelines or standardized approaches may be needed.
Responses consist of categorical and ordinal variables and are analyzed descriptively. The study is exploratory in nature and aims to characterize patterns in clinical perception rather than test predefined hypotheses.
Study Design
- Study Type
- Observational
- Observational Model
- Other
- Time Perspective
- Cross Sectional
Eligibility Criteria
- Ages
- 18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
- Sex
- All
- Accepts Healthy Volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria
- •Physiotherapists working with elite ice hockey teams in Sweden (SHL, HockeyAllsvenskan, SDHL)
- •Team physicians working with elite ice hockey teams in Sweden (SHL, HockeyAllsvenskan, SDHL)
- •Massage therapists and sports massage practitioners working with elite ice hockey teams in Sweden
- •Athletic trainers and performance staff involved in player health and injury management in elite ice hockey teams in Sweden
- •Currently active in a medical or performance support role within a participating elite ice hockey team during the study period
- •Able to understand and complete the questionnaire in Swedish or English Provides informed consent
Exclusion Criteria
- •Refusal to participate
- •Not currently active in a medical, therapeutic, or performance support role within elite ice hockey during the study period
Investigators
Daniel Muder
Principal Investigator.
Dalarna County Council, Sweden