Physiotherapy of Injuries In Amateur Inline Hockey Players

ABSTRACT Problem statement: Inline hockey is a more modern variant of ice hockey. It has evolved from the need for a more affordable equivalent to ice hockey and as an adapted variant that can be played on the street or used by players for off-season training, when hockey arenas are closed. Inline hockey is played on inline skates and has specific movement patterns; the contact nature of the game carries a high incidence of injuries. Contacts among players and a smooth playing surface result in a high percent of injuries among all participants. Considering that inline hockey is in its early stages of development it is still unexplored and this Thesis researches the most common injuries, injury mechanisms and rehabilitation of injuries sustained during the game.

Results: The most common location of injury among inline hockey players is the knee, with 35 % of all injuries. The most common injury mechanism is contact with another player with 45 %. A higher percentage of injuries occur on the non-dominant side of the body. Injuries are equally distributed with 29.9 % of upper and 29.9 % of lower extremity injuries. Time of rehabilitation or the average training absence lasts from one week to one month. Post-rehabilitation pain was reduced by 73.3 %.

Conclusion: By its nature, inline hockey is a contact sport and involves specific injuries and injury mechanisms. The percentage of injuries among players is high; most injuries are serious and result in long-time player absence from trainings.