“At-Risk” Positioning and Hip Biomechanics of the Peewee Ice Hockey Sprint Start

Abstract

Background: Femoroacetabular impingement (FAI) is becoming a prevalent overuse injury diagnosis among hockey players. In the adult ice hockey stride, the “at-risk” hip position, defined by internal rotation during flexion and external rotation during abduction, reportedly increases hip vulnerability to labral injury as a result of FAI.

Hypothesis: Peewee youth ice hockey players display the kinematics for both described at-risk hip positions (internal rotation during flexion and external rotation during abduction) in the ice hockey sprint start.

Study Design: Descriptive laboratory study.

Methods: Twelve healthy male Peewee ice hockey players (mean age, 10.8 ± 0.6 years) participated in this study. Thirty-five anatomic landmarks were used to analyze the 3-dimensional kinematic and kinetic variables of the hip associated with the ice hockey sprint start. Ten high-speed (120-Hz) infrared cameras recorded the trials, which were subsequently analyzed with Motion Monitor software. The sprint start was recorded over 4 defined periods of motion: start, push, swing, and even.

Results: In the “push” period, 11.5° of external rotation was observed concurrently with 13.2° of abduction in the push leg, and 6.8° of internal rotation occurred with 33.8° of flexion in the lead leg. During the recovery phase of the “swing” period, maximum internal rotation was 5.6° with concurrent hip flexion of 44.2° in the push leg, while lead leg internal rotation reached a maximum of 10.8° with hip flexion of 35.1° during the “even” period.

Conclusion: During the sprint start, youth ice hockey players externally rotate in abduction during the push-off phase and internally rotate through increasing hip flexion during the recovery phase, displaying the at-risk hip positions of the ice hockey skating stride.

Clinical Relevance: During the sprint start, youth ice hockey players position their hips in a manner that can cause impingement of the femoral neck against the acetabulum and potentially lead to labral tears and/or articular cartilage damage. This knowledge could be applied to assist in the prevention of overuse injuries of the hip as youth hockey players mature and increase in skill level.