Clinical Research Directory

Medical Team Perspectives on Hand and Wrist Injuries in Elite Male and Female Ice Hockey Players

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.

Prevalence and Functional Impact of Hand and Wrist Symptoms in Ice Hockey Players

Ice hockey places high physical demands on the hands and wrists due to frequent shooting, passing, and physical contact. This study aims to understand how common hand and wrist pain or symptoms are among ice hockey players in Sweden, and how these symptoms affect training, participation, and performance. Players from different competitive levels (elite, junior, and amateur) and both sexes will complete a structured questionnaire based on the validated Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) tool, along with questions about pain intensity, symptom characteristics, and functional impact. The goal is to describe the prevalence and severity of hand and wrist symptoms across different groups of players and to identify potential differences between sex, playing level, and position. No treatment or intervention is involved.

Angle-Specific Torque Profile Analysis in the Wrist Joint

The wrist joint performs various tasks at multiple angles during daily activities, both in flexion and extension positions. Among the parameters that facilitate these tasks, strength-particularly in relation to coordination and motor control-plays a key role. Therefore, identifying potential strength deficits is important for maintaining the continuity of daily functional tasks. In the literature, a wide range of methods exist for evaluating strength, from manual tests to advanced technological devices (references). One such method, isokinetic dynamometry, is considered among the most reliable due to its ability to provide objective and standardized measurements across different types of muscle contractions (isometric, isotonic, and isokinetic). Isokinetic dynamometers yield various data including peak torque, average torque, total work, fatigue index, and torque slope. Researchers frequently interpret findings based on peak or average torque values generated during isokinetic contractions. These torque measures provide an overall representation of strength during a given movement. In wrist movements, rather than a single muscle, muscle groups are responsible for executing motion. However, when only peak or average torque at a single joint angle is assessed, the presence or absence of weakness in the movement can be detected, but it offers limited information. If weakness exists, identifying the specific joint angle at which it occurs can provide more direct insights into which muscles may be impaired. Furthermore, angle-specific profiling allows for characterization of muscle behavior throughout the movement, offering valuable information about potential kinematic disruptions. Having normative data on these profiles enables the detection of deviations from typical patterns across the full range of motion, which can be beneficial for both diagnosis and treatment planning. However, to derive such benefits, it is critical that the data be obtained using reliable methods. Reliability refers to the degree to which an instrument or technique yields consistent results across repeated measurements, and is a prerequisite for usability. Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) is an increasingly popular method that enables angle-specific torque analysis, providing clinically and scientifically meaningful information on muscle strength. Angle-specific mapping is considered the "gold standard" because it presents torque values across the entire joint range, eliminating the need for interpolation between angles. For example, during daily activities, the wrist joint commonly operates within a range from 40° extension to 38° flexion. Therefore, measuring strength at only one joint angle may not be sufficient to reflect the potential limitations experienced in everyday tasks. Despite its advantages, no reliability study involving SPM analysis has been found for the wrist joint. Furthermore, there is currently no study providing normative data for SPM-based analysis in the wrist. The aim of this study is to examine the reliability of angle-specific torque profile analysis during wrist flexion and extension movements and to provide normative data for healthy young adults.