Knee injury and osteoarthritis outcome score of Korean national ice hockey players

[Purpose] To investigate sports injuries in Korean national ice hockey players by surveying parts, times, types, frequency, cure, and prevention types of sports injuries and provide basic data for injury prevention and performance improvement of ice hockey players. Another purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of ice hockey injuries according to age and the relationship between etiological factors and injuries in high school students. [Subjects and Methods] This was a cross-sectional study. Eighteen female ice hockey players in Korean elite athletes were recruited for this study. This study was conducted by a self-administered questionnaire survey using Knee Injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS) of national ice hockey players. [Results] Participants were injured mainly during training. Injuries were caused by skate, puck-contact, and body check. Five subscales of KOOS were significantly correlated with each other except that the correlation between activities of daily living and quality of life was insignificant. [Conclusion] For injury prevention in national team ice hockey players, full gear is recommended. In addition, therapist in the field needs to conduct injury prevention through consistent observations and counseling in order to prevent injury and improve performance. Ice hockey players also need sufficient rest with systematic and scientific training for injury prevention and performance improvement.