Defining the effective impact mass of elbow and shoulder strikes in ice hockey

Reconstruction of real-life events can be used to investigate the relationship between the mechanical parameters of the impact and concussion risk. Striking mass has typically been approximated as being the mass of the body part coming into contact with the head without accounting for the force applied by the striking athlete. Thus, the purpose of this study was to measure the effective impact mass of three common striking techniques in ice hockey. Fifteen participants were instructed to strike a suspended 50th percentile Hybrid III headform at least three times with their elbow or shoulder. Effective impact mass was calculated by measuring the change in velocity of the player and the headform. Mean effective impact mass for the extended elbow, tucked-in elbow, and shoulder check conditions were 4.8, 3.0, and 12.9kg, respectively. Peak linear accelerations were lower than the values associated with concussion in American football which could be a reflection of the methodology used in this study as well as inherent differences between both sports.