Abstract
BackgroundIce hockey is an international sport. Injuries occur in a full body fashion, to a number of tissues, commonly through body contact. There is a lack of literature documenting the scope of sports chiropractic practice. Thus, it was the aim to document the type, scope and severity of conditions presenting to, and the treatment provided by, the New Zealand team chiropractor acting as a primary health provider for the duration of the 2007 World Ice Hockey Championships.MethodsAll conditions presenting were recorded. Diagnosis was recorded along with clinical parameters of injury: injury type, severity, mechanism and whether referral or advanced imaging was required. All treatment provided was continuously recorded, including information on the number of treatments required and the reason, duration, type and location of treatment.ResultsPlayers presented for diagnosis of injury 50 times. Muscle (34%), joint (24%) and tendon injuries (18%) were most common. Players presented with a new injury 76% of the time. Most injuries had been present for less than one week (84%), with 53% occurring through a contact mechanism. Injuries were common at training and match locations. Only two injuries required the player to stop playing or training, both of which were referred for advanced imaging. During the study, 134 treatment consultations were rendered to 45 player injuries. Eighty per-cent of injuries were managed with four or less treatments. Three quarters of treatment was provided at training locations with treatment duration predominantly being between 11-15 minutes (71%) and 16-20 minutes (27%). Most treatment delivered was passive in nature (71%) although combination active and passive care was provided (27%). Treatment typically involved joint (81%) and soft tissue based therapies (81%) and was delivered in a full body manner.ConclusionsThis study documented the injury profile of ice hockey at an international level of competition. It documented the conditions presenting to a chiropractor for diagnosis and the treatment provided. Treatment was consistent with that recommended for chiropractic management of athletic injuries. This documentation of sports chiropractic scope of practice fills a void in the literature and assists in determining a role for sports chiropractors as primary health providers or in multidisciplinary sports management teams.
Highlights
The study conformed to the ethical standards and requirements of the Anglo-European College of Chiropractic (AECC) Research Ethics Sub-Committee, who determined that ethical approval was not required
The results of this study showed that less severe injuries, requiring treatment but not missed competition or training, commonly occur in ice hockey with 19 of 22 players presenting for chiropractic care at least once
It demonstrated that a sports chiropractor for the New Zealand ice hockey team when acting as the primary health provider was required to diagnose conditions occurring in a full body distribution and to a number of tissue types
Summary
It was the aim to document the type, scope and severity of conditions presenting to, and the treatment provided by, the New Zealand team chiropractor acting as a primary health provider for the duration of the 2007 World Ice Hockey Championships. Ice hockey is a body contact sport played through North America, Europe, Russia and other parts of the world. Teams consist of five players on the ice at any one time in addition to a goal-keeper and up to 15 on an interchange bench. Each game is played over three 20 minute periods plus stoppage time. Body contact plays a significant role in this power sport, with collisions the body contact nature of the game, players are prone to sprains and strains, which may not involve any body contact [4]. The full body injury profile of predominant acute onset injury represents a challenge for the sports clinician in terms of diagnosis and management
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