[Indoor hockey: injuries and prevention]

Abstract

Frequency and mechanisms of injuries in women's indoor-hockey are evaluated in a retrospective study of 89 players. Each athlete sustains 1.1 injury per season on the average. The goalkeeper's risk is about three times as high as that of the outfield players. The risk during match exceeds the risk during practice by a factor of 20. The most common site of injury is the lower limb (55%), 39% are related to the upper limb, 5% to head and trunk. Half of the lesions are caused by ball and stick, they involve especially hands and fingers. The facts allow to draw conclusions concerning preventive measures. The players must be protected by better equipment, special exercises and further development of the rules.