Head, Neck, and Shoulder Injuries in Ice Hockey: Current Concepts

Dental Injuries

The incidence and type of facial and dental injuries depend directly on the type of face protection used.^11,17,18 In a study of face, head, and neck injuries in elite amateur ice hockey players, Stuart and colleagues¹³ found game-related injury rates of 158.9 per 1000 player-hours in players without face protection, 73.5 in players who used half-face shields, and 23.2 in players who used full-face shields. Players who wore full-face shields had facial, head, and neck injury rates of only 23.2 per 1000 player-game hours.¹³ Other studies clearly support the important role face shields play in lowering injury risk in hockey. Face and head injuries account for 20% to 40% of all hockey-related injuries,^3,16,19 and dental injuries up to 11.5%.²⁰ In a study from Finland, Lahti and colleagues¹⁹ found that over a 2-year period, 479 hockey players sustained injuries, including 650 separate dental injuries. The most commonly diagnosed dental injury was an uncomplicated crown fracture, and the most common cause was a hit with a hockey stick, which accounted for 52.7% and 40.3% of dental injuries in games and practices, respectively.¹⁹

In the management of dental fractures, the broken portions of teeth should be found and placed in a transportation-protective medium, such as saline, saliva, or milk,¹⁶ which can improve functional and esthetic replacement outcomes.^21,22 Loose pieces of teeth should not be left in the player’s mouth. The residual tooth should be stabilized and exposure to air and occlusion limited. Dental fractures can affect the enamel, the enamel and dentin structures (uncomplicated fracture), or enamel, dentin, and pulp (complicated).²³ Fractures involving only the enamel do not require urgent dental evaluation. Dentin or pulp involvement may cause temperature and air sensitivity.²³ If a tooth is air-sensitive, the player should be referred to a specialist immediately.¹¹

Direct trauma can cause instability without displacement (subluxation) or complete displacement of the tooth from its alveolar socket (avulsion).²³ An avulsed tooth should be handled by the crown to avoid further damage to the root and periodontal ligament.^16,24 The tooth should be rinsed gently with saline and reimplanted in its socket, ideally within 5 to 10 minutes,²³with the athlete biting down gently on gauze to hold the tooth in place. A 1-mL supraperiosteal infiltration of 1% or 2% lidocaine hydrochloride (1:100,000 epinephrine) can be given into the apex of the tooth being anesthetized (Figure 1).

Concussions

A concussion is a “complex pathophysiological process affecting the brain, induced by traumatic biomechanical forces.”²⁵ Concussion is largely a functional disturbance instead of a structural injury, owing to the rotational and/or shearing forces involved. Many studies have identified concussion as the most common type of injury in all of youth hockey.²⁶ Concussions account for up to 19% of all injuries in men’s collegiate hockey.³

Concussion can be challenging to diagnose on the ice. The most important factor in concussion management is symptom reporting by the athlete.²⁷ Despite significant efforts in education and awareness, student athletes, especially hockey players, withhold reporting a possible concussion.²⁸ Reasons for underreporting include fear of letting down other players and coaches, thinking the injury is not severe enough to warrant evaluation, and fear of losing standing with the current team or future teams.²⁸

As postinjury concussion assessments are ideal when comparisons can be made with preseason (baseline) scores, preseason testing is becoming standard in professional, college, junior, and high school hockey. This testing involves the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool, 3rd edition (SCAT3), and the King-Devick (K-D) test.^30,31 Some youth leagues have baseline testing as well, though the frequency of baseline testing in their players is controversial,³² as the adolescent mind’s processing speed and memory increase exponentially.³³ For these younger athletes, it may be necessary to perform baseline testing more frequently than annually.³² A physician can use baseline test results to help diagnose a concussion at the rink and then track the athlete’s recovery and help with return-to-play decisions.²⁹ Vision involves almost half of the brain’s circuits,³⁴ including areas vulnerable to head impact. A neuro-ophthalmologic test can assess for irregularities in accommodation, convergence, ocular muscle balance, pursuit, and saccades.²⁹ The K-D test is a visual performance examination that allows easy and objective assessment of eye movements. Use of both the K-D test and the SCAT3 at the rink may increase the number of concussions detected.^29,35 We recommend that physicians use both tests to assess for concussion at the hockey rink.

Initial treatment involves a period of physical rest and relative cognitive rest. Acute worsening of symptoms warrants urgent imaging to rule out a subdural or subarachnoid bleed. Once a player is symptom-free, a graded return-to-play protocol should be followed (Table 4).

On the prevention side, great efforts have been made to improve hockey helmets. (Some manufacturers claim to have made concussion-proof helmets, but there is no evidence supporting this claim.⁶) Numerous investigators have reported a lower overall injury rate in players who wear a helmet and a full-face shield.^6,13 In addition, rule changes aimed at decreasing head contact have been implemented to decrease the incidence of sport-related concussions.³⁶ Moreover, education on proper helmet use and wear should be emphasized. A study of the effects of hockey helmet fit on cervical motion found that 7 (39%) of 18 players wore a game or competition helmet so loosely that it could be removed without unbuttoning its chinstrap.³⁷ Improperly worn helmets cannot prevent injury as well as properly worn helmets can.