Considerations when Designing In Vivo Protocols for Conducting Biomechanical Research of the Shoulder Joint in Hockey Athletes

While the numbers and details of hockey-related injuries are variable across sources due to variations in sample age, sex, location, and confidentiality of many large hockey leagues, a 2023 narrative review study identified more than 100,000 upper extremity injuries documented in research since 2000. Nearly half of those injuries were to the shoulder with common injuries being acromioclavicular joint sprains, shoulder instability and dislocations, labral and rotator cuff tears, and clavicle fractures. In respect to the National Hockey League (NHL), the highest level of play in ice hockey, 12% of all injuries are to the shoulder, second only to head injuries in the upper body.3 Even with the prevalence of shoulder injuries being relatively high across nearly all hockey leagues, there is limited research into shoulder protective equipment. Because of this limited research, it is difficult to examine the effectiveness of current equipment, and nearly impossible to study alternative designs, material, and placement of shoulder pads that could be more effective in injury prevention. The goal of this hybrid study of current literature and protocol design is to explore the challenges of in vivo research for on-ice sports, specifically related to shoulder biomechanics research, which presents multiple levels of difficulty in both technical, locational, and anatomical challenges.