Concussions in the National Hockey League: Analysis of Incidence, Return to Play, and Performance. Issue 1 (20th January 2022)
- Record Type:
- Journal Article
- Title:
- Concussions in the National Hockey League: Analysis of Incidence, Return to Play, and Performance. Issue 1 (20th January 2022)
- Main Title:
- Concussions in the National Hockey League: Analysis of Incidence, Return to Play, and Performance
- Authors:
- Andrews, Erickson
Jildeh, Toufic R.
Abbas, Muhammad J.
Lindsay-Rivera, Kevin
Berguson, Jon
Okoroha, Kelechi R. - Abstract:
- Background: Concussion injuries are common in professional hockey; however, their effect on player performance remains unclear. Purpose: To quantify the effect of concussions on the performance of position players in the National Hockey League (NHL). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Concussion data from the NHL were collected using publicly available databases for the seasons between 2009-2010 and 2015-2016, coinciding with new NHL concussion rules. Age, body mass index, position, number of concussions during a player's NHL career, games played, and time on ice were recorded. Basic and advanced performance metrics were collected for 1 season pre- and postconcussion (short-term period) and 3 seasons before and after concussion (long-term period) to assess short- and long-term changes in performance. A control group of players without an identified concussion who competed during the study period was assembled for comparison. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to evaluate pre- to postconcussion data in the short- and long-term settings as well as to compare the cohorts at each time point. Results: Overall, 48 players were identified as having a concussion during the study period. Players missed 17.2 ± 15.1 days (mean ± standard deviation) and 7.5 ± 6.9 games postconcussion. There were no significant differences in any metric when pre- and postconcussion intraseason performance was assessed. Athletes who were concussed demonstrated significantlyBackground: Concussion injuries are common in professional hockey; however, their effect on player performance remains unclear. Purpose: To quantify the effect of concussions on the performance of position players in the National Hockey League (NHL). Study Design: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3. Methods: Concussion data from the NHL were collected using publicly available databases for the seasons between 2009-2010 and 2015-2016, coinciding with new NHL concussion rules. Age, body mass index, position, number of concussions during a player's NHL career, games played, and time on ice were recorded. Basic and advanced performance metrics were collected for 1 season pre- and postconcussion (short-term period) and 3 seasons before and after concussion (long-term period) to assess short- and long-term changes in performance. A control group of players without an identified concussion who competed during the study period was assembled for comparison. Wilcoxon signed rank tests were used to evaluate pre- to postconcussion data in the short- and long-term settings as well as to compare the cohorts at each time point. Results: Overall, 48 players were identified as having a concussion during the study period. Players missed 17.2 ± 15.1 days (mean ± standard deviation) and 7.5 ± 6.9 games postconcussion. There were no significant differences in any metric when pre- and postconcussion intraseason performance was assessed. Athletes who were concussed demonstrated significantly deceased performance metrics (assists per 60 minutes, points per 60 minutes, Corsi percentage, and Fenwick percentage) in the 3 years after the concussion as compared with the year before injury ( P < .05). However, no difference was found between the concussed group and matched control group in the short- or long-term period. Players with concussion played fewer career games (856.4 ± 287.4 vs 725.7 ± 215.0; P < .05) than did controls. Conclusion: A high rate of NHL players were able to return to play after a concussion injury. Players with concussion did not experience a reduction in performance metrics in the short- or long-term setting when compared with matched controls. The concussed cohort maintained a similar workload up to 3 seasons postconcussion but played in fewer career games when compared with matched controls. … (more)
- Is Part Of:
- Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine. Volume 10:Issue 1(2022)
- Journal:
- Orthopaedic journal of sports medicine
- Issue:
- Volume 10:Issue 1(2022)
- Issue Display:
- Volume 10, Issue 1 (2022)
- Year:
- 2022
- Volume:
- 10
- Issue:
- 1
- Issue Sort Value:
- 2022-0010-0001-0000
- Page Start:
- Page End:
- Publication Date:
- 2022-01-20
- Subjects:
- concussion -- NHL -- hockey -- performance -- injury
Sports medicine -- Periodicals
Orthopedics -- Periodicals
Arthroscopy -- Periodicals
Arthroplasty -- Periodicals
Knee -- Surgery -- Periodicals
616.7 - Journal URLs:
- http://www.sagepublications.com/ ↗
- DOI:
- 10.1177/23259671211052069 ↗
- Languages:
- English
- ISSNs:
- 2325-9671
- Deposit Type:
- Legaldeposit
- View Content:
- Available online (eLD content is only available in our Reading Rooms) ↗
- Physical Locations:
- British Library DSC - BLDSS-3PM
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- 19298.xml