An observational study in Hand, Wrist and Overuse Injury, sponsored by Dalarna County Council, Sweden. Not yet recruiting. Open to participants aged 15 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-05-27.
Sponsored by Dalarna County Council, Sweden · Observational
Ice hockey places high physical demands on the hands and wrists due to frequent shooting, passing, and physical contact. This study aims to understand how common hand and wrist pain or symptoms are among ice hockey players in Sweden, and how these symptoms affect training, participation, and performance.
Players from different competitive levels (elite, junior, and amateur) and both sexes will complete a structured questionnaire based on the validated Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) tool, along with questions about pain intensity, symptom characteristics, and functional impact.
The goal is to describe the prevalence and severity of hand and wrist symptoms across different groups of players and to identify potential differences between sex, playing level, and position. No treatment or intervention is involved.
This cross-sectional observational survey study investigates the prevalence, severity, and functional impact of hand and wrist symptoms among ice hockey players in Sweden. Ice hockey is characterized by high mechanical loading of the upper extremities due to repeated stick handling, shooting, passing, and frequent body contact, which may result in both acute injuries and chronic or overuse-related symptoms affecting the hand and wrist.
Despite the recognized importance of upper-limb function in ice hockey performance, the burden of non-time-loss symptoms remains poorly described in epidemiological injury surveillance systems. Traditional injury registries primarily capture time-loss injuries and may therefore underestimate the true functional impact of hand and wrist complaints that do not necessarily result in absence from play.
To address this gap, players from multiple competitive levels-including elite, junior elite, and amateur ice hockey teams in Sweden-will complete a structured questionnaire during the competitive or pre-season period. The survey is based on the validated Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre (OSTRC) Overuse Injury Questionnaire, supplemented with additional items capturing pain intensity (numeric rating scale), symptom characteristics (location, duration, and triggers), and perceived impact on training, participation, and performance.
The study population includes both male and female athletes across different competitive tiers, allowing stratified analyses by sex, playing level, and playing position. The primary objective is to estimate the prevalence of hand and wrist symptoms, while secondary objectives include quantifying symptom severity and functional consequences, as well as exploring associations with player characteristics such as age, playing experience, and prior injury history.
All data are collected at a single time point, and no interventions or treatments are administered as part of the study. The results are intended to improve understanding of the functional burden of hand and wrist symptoms in ice hockey and to inform future injury prevention, load management, and rehabilitation strategies.
43 studies on the registry are indexed under Cumulative Trauma Disorders; 8 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 800 is above the median of 150 across 17 observational studies indexed under Cumulative Trauma Disorders.
Browse Cumulative Trauma Disorders studies →Dalarna County Council, Sweden is the lead sponsor of 28 studies on the registry; 10 are open to participants now.
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Active male and female ice hockey players recruited from Swedish ice hockey teams across elite, junior elite, and amateur levels. Teams are selected from professional leagues (SHL and SDHL), second-tier leagues (HockeyAllsvenskan and NDHL where applicable), junior U18/U20 teams, and amateur clubs. Participants are drawn from active rosters during the competitive season or pre-season period and complete a structured questionnaire assessing hand and wrist symptoms, pain, and functional impact.
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Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Active male and female ice hockey players from elite, junior, and amateur teams in Sweden participating in a cross-sectional survey assessing hand and wrist symptoms.
Prevalence of Hand and Wrist Pain Under Load in Ice Hockey Players
Proportion of ice hockey players reporting hand or wrist pain occurring during hockey-specific load-bearing activities (e.g., shooting, stick handling, body contact), assessed using a structured cross-sectional survey including OSTRC-based symptom items. Unit of Measure: Percentage of participants (%)
Time frame: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)
Severity of Hand and Wrist Symptoms in Ice Hockey Players
Overall severity of hand and wrist symptoms during hockey participation, assessed using a structured questionnaire based on OSTRC overuse injury principles and a 0-10 numeric rating scale for pain intensity. Unit of Measure: OSTRC-based severity score (ordinal scale) Numeric Rating Scale (0-10), where 0 = no pain and 10 = worst imaginable pain (higher score = worse outcome)
Time frame: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)
Functional Impact of Hand and Wrist Symptoms on Participation and Performance
Self-reported impact of hand and wrist symptoms on participation in training and competition, training volume, and on-ice performance, assessed using structured OSTRC-based items. Unit of Measure: Ordinal scale responses (5-level categories) assessing: participation limitation training reduction performance impairment Higher scores indicate greater functional impact.
Time frame: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)
Characteristics of Hand and Wrist Pain in Ice Hockey Players
Distribution and pattern of self-reported hand and wrist pain during hockey participation, including anatomical location, triggering actions, and duration of symptoms. Unit of Measure: Categorical responses (multiple response options), including: anatomical location (e.g., radial wrist, ulnar wrist, fingers, thumb) triggering mechanisms (e.g., shooting, stick handling, body contact) symptom duration (e.g., during activity, minutes, hours, persistent) Results will be reported as frequencies and percentages.
Time frame: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)
History of Hand and Wrist Injuries and Associated Characteristics in Ice Hockey Players
Self-reported history of prior hand and wrist injuries, including injury type, timing, and current treatment status, as potential background factors associated with current symptom burden. Unit of Measure: Categorical variables reported as frequencies and percentages, including: presence of previous hand/wrist injury (yes/no) injury type (e.g., fracture, ligament injury, tendon injury) timing of most recent injury (year) current treatment status (yes/no; type of treatment)
Time frame: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)
Clinical Management and Reporting Behaviour Related to Hand and Wrist Symptoms in Ice Hockey Players
Self-reported clinical management strategies and reporting behaviour related to hand and wrist symptoms, including communication with medical staff, reasons for non-reporting, return-to-play modifications, and use of protective or symptomatic treatments during participation. Unit of Measure: Categorical responses reported as frequencies and percentages, including: reporting to medical staff (yes/no) reasons for non-reporting changes in playing style due to symptoms (yes/no) use of protective measures or treatments (e.g., tape, brace, medication)
Time frame: Baseline (cross-sectional survey at enrollment)
No study locations are listed for this record.
Plan to share: Yes — Individual participant data (IPD) including de-identified questionnaire responses will be shared. This includes OSTRC-derived symptom and severity scores, pain intensity ratings (NRS), reported symptom characteristics (location, duration, triggers), and functional impact on training, participation, and performance, as well as basic demographic and playing characteristics such as age, sex, playing position, playing level, years of experience, dominant hand, and prior hand/wrist injury history.
Supporting information: Study protocol, Statistical analysis plan, Informed consent form
Time frame: From the publication of the protocol and for 10 years thereafter.
Access criteria: Access to individual participant data is typically restricted to authorized researchers involved in the study or approved collaborators under strict confidentiality and data protection agreements.
Start is estimated for Sep 2026; primary completion for Dec 2026, 3 months later.
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This study is not yet recruiting, as verified in Apr 2026. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
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Dalarna County Council, Sweden