The incidence of injury in male field hockey players: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: Few studies have investigated injury incidence in field hockey. The aim of this systematic review was to determine the incidence and characteristics of injury in male field hockey athletes.

Design: Prognosis systematic review with meta-analysis.

Literature search: MEDLINE via PubMed; EMBASE via Ovid; CINAHL via EBSCO; SPORTDiscus; and Web of Science were searched.

Study selection criteria: Prospective studies and retrospective studies employing video analysis, written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals, expressing the incidence of injury in male field hockey athletes were included. Studies must have been of a duration of a minimum one season or one tournament. Studies were screened by two authors, assessing the eligibility of each record. Following selection of the studies, data were extracted by the two authors.

Data synthesis: Levels of heterogeneity were assessed in aggregate data using the I² statistic.

Results: In total, 1722 records were identified. Twelve studies were included in the review. Injury incidence ranged from 4.5 to 57.9/1000h (I² = 98.5%). Nine studies were undertaken in tournament settings, with the remaining three conducted in club-based athletes in season-long settings. When a medical attention definition was used, there was a pooled incidence rate of 48.1/1000h, all in tournament studies. Contusions and muscle strains were the most frequently reported injury types, while the lower limb was the most common site of injury. Contact injuries were most common in tournament-based studies, while non-contact was more common in season-long studies.

Conclusion: Prospective, season-long epidemiological studies investigating injury incidence in field hockey are lacking.