Imaging Review of Hockey-related Lower Extremity Injuries

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Radiology
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Ice hockey is a high-impact sport with frequent injuries.
• Lower extremity injuries represent a significant portion of all hockey injuries and overuse injuries.
• Understanding these injuries is crucial for healthcare providers, especially primary care and emergency physicians.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide radiologists with knowledge of lower extremity injury patterns in ice hockey.
• To serve as a pictorial review for identifying common hockey-related lower limb injuries.

Main Methods:

• Pictorial review of lower extremity injuries in ice hockey.
• Focus on injury patterns relevant to general and specialty radiologists.

Main Results:

• Lower extremity injuries constitute approximately one-third of all hockey injuries.
• Over 60% of overuse injuries in hockey affect the lower extremities.
• Common injury patterns are presented visually for diagnostic reference.

Conclusions:

• Radiologists require specific knowledge of ice hockey lower extremity injuries for accurate diagnosis.
• This review aids in recognizing and interpreting common injury patterns in hockey players.
• Effective diagnosis of lower extremity injuries is vital for managing hockey-related trauma.