High rate of recurrent injuries in hockey revealed in report

A new study conducted by Chartered Physiotherapist Huw Rees, who is connected to Three Rock Rovers, has called for greater attention to be given to recurring injuries in hockey.

The findings, which will be showcased at the Irish Society of Chartered Physiotherapists annual conference in Dun Laoghaire this weekend, claim the majority of Irish clubs at elite level don’t invest in medical facilities and staff, rehab and properly supervised gym access.

It also shows that recurring injuries in hockey , which can be as severe as new injuries, are more frequent than in other sports such as rugby.

“A higher proportion of injuries in field hockey (16.1 per cent) athletes are recurrent when compared to rugby athletes (5.4 per cent),” says the study.

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The analysis was taken from data collected from 188 male hockey athletes playing in the EY Irish Hockey League (EYHL) in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 seasons. Each athlete was enrolled to the Athlete Monitoring system, a smartphone application where athletes could log injuries that they sustained.

A total of 323 injuries occurred across the study period, of which 52 (16.1 per cent ) were recurrences, giving rise to a recurrence rate of 1.5/1000 hours.

Muscle strains (51.9 per cent) and undiagnosed pain (23.2 per cent) were the most common types of recurrent injuries with hamstring (26.9 per cent) and the hip/groin and lower back (each 19.3 per cent) the most common locations for injury.

Once of the conclusions reached is that, because of the high recurrence rate, athletes could benefit from secondary prevention measures and sport-specific return to play protocols.

Saturday: EY Hockey League – Corinthains v Banbridge, St Columbas College 1.15; YMCA v Pembroke, Wesley College 1.30; Monkstown v Glenanne, Rathdown School 2.15; Lisnagarvey v UCD, Comber Road 3.00; Three Rock Rovers v Annadale, Grange Road 3.00.