Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2013 May;5(3):270-2.
doi: 10.1177/1941738112473053.

Incidence and injury characteristics of medial collateral ligament injuries in male collegiate ice hockey players

John A Grant  1 , Asheesh Bedi  2 , Jennifer Kurz  3 , Richard Bancroft  4 , Bruce S Miller  2
Affiliations

Incidence and injury characteristics of medial collateral ligament injuries in male collegiate ice hockey players

John A Grant et al. Sports Health. 2013 May.

Abstract

Background: Medial collateral ligament (MCL) injuries are the second most common injury resulting in player lost time in elite-level ice hockey.

Purpose: To determine the incidence and injury characteristics of knee MCL sprain in male collegiate ice hockey players.

Study design: Case control.

Methods: Athlete exposure data demographics, mechanism of injury, player position, time of injury occurrence (game vs practice), grade of MCL sprain, concomitant injuries, and lost time for cases were extracted from a computerized injury database of 8 college hockey seasons at 1 university. MCL injury rates were calculated. Injury characteristics were descriptively summarized. Simple linear regression was utilized to determine the relationship between the grade of MCL injury and player lost time.

Results: There were 13 MCL injuries in 10 players. The overall incidence rate was 0.44 injuries per 1000 athlete exposures. Two players suffered reinjuries. Defensemen and forwards were equally represented. Contact with another player or the ice was the mechanism of injury in 77% of players. Grade 2 injuries were most common. The grade of injury predicted time lost from play (P < 0.01).

Conclusion and clinical relevance: The lost time relates directly to the severity of injury.

Keywords: ice hockey; incidence; injury risk; lost time; medial collateral ligament.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The following authors declared potential conflicts of interest: John A. Grant, PhD, MD, FRCSC, has stock in Stryker; and Asheesh Bedi, MD is a consultant for Smith Nephew, Endoscopy, BioMimetics & Therapeutics, Pivot Medical, and has stock in A3 Surgical.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Agel J, Dompier TP, Dick R, Marshall SW. Descriptive epidemiology of collegiate men’s ice hockey injuries: National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance System, 1988-1989 through 2003-2004. J Athl Train. 2007;42(2):241-248 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Agel J, Harvey EJ. A 7-year review of men’s and women’s ice hockey injuries in the NCAA. Can J Surg. 2010;53(5):319-323 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Flik K, Lyman S, Marx RG. American collegiate men’s ice hockey: an analysis of injuries. Am J Sports Med. 2005;33(2):183-187 - PubMed
    1. Kuzuhara K, Shimamoto H, Mase Y. Ice hockey injuries in a Japanese elite team: a 3-year prospective study. J Athl Train. 2009;44(2):208-214 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lorentzon R, Wedren H, Pietila T. Incidence, nature, and causes of ice hockey injuries: a three-year prospective study of a Swedish elite ice hockey team. Am J Sports Med. 1988;16(4):392-396 - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources