Epidemiology, clinical characteristics and associated injury risk factors among South African amateur field hockey players

Abstract

Background: Field hockey is a popular sport played internationally. Field hockey is physically taxing as it requires lots of low-level intensity running with bouts of sprinting. Although field hockey participation is associated with injury, there has yet to be a prospective epidemiological study performed on South African field hockey players.

Objective: To determine the epidemiology, clinical characteristics and associated risk factors for injuries in adult amateur field hockey players at a field hockey club in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Methods: A prospective cohort study in which 36 participants (males n=21, females n=15) were followed up fortnightly over 10 weeks. Participants used a modified version of the Olso Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire for Health Problems (OSTRC-H2) to self-register data related to field hockey injuries and risk factors associated with injury.

Results: The mean injury period prevalence was 40.9%. We reported a high injury incidence of 75.0/1 000 h of field hockey exposure. The lower limb (56.9%) was the most injured anatomical region with the knee (21.6%), ankle (13.7%) and hip/groin (13.7%) being the most frequently injured body areas. Not participating in cross-training protected players against injury (OR 0.1; p=0.0088), whereas participating in three training sessions a week increased the likelihood of injury (OR 12.1; p=0.0247).

Conclusion: Amateur South African field hockey players had a high injury incidence, with most injuries affecting the lower limb. Higher training volume placed players at risk of injury. The results of this study may aid the development of injury prevention programmes, but studies with a larger sample including more than one club are required.