The Leksand Hockey Trial on Grip Strength

NCT07115160 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 2024-08560-01
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 19
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This project, titled The Leksand Hockey Trial on Grip Strength, investigates whether grip strength is related to performance in professional hockey players. Grip strength is already known to reflect general health and muscle function, and it plays a key role in ice hockey, where players rely on strong hands and forearms for stick handling, shooting, and physical challenges on the ice. Despite this, no clinical study has yet explored whether stronger grip strength leads to better on-ice performance. In this pilot study, we will first examine if there is a correlation between grip strength and key performance indicators such as game score (a combined measure of offensive and defensive contribution), number of shots on goal, and shooting precision. Grip strength will be measured using a standardized protocol and professional players from SHL, SDHL, and HockeyAllsvenskan will be included. Performance data will be collected before and after the grip strength assessment. Additionally, injuries sustained during the study period will be recorded and monitored as an outcome measure. We will investigate whether there is any correlation between grip strength and injury incidence to assess if stronger grip strength may influence injury risk or resilience in professional hockey players. In the second part of the study, players will follow a grip-strength training program to determine whether improvements in grip strength lead to better performance. If a link is found, grip strength could be used as a simple and reliable proxy for player performance and may justify the inclusion of specific grip training in professional hockey conditioning programs. This study aims to fill a knowledge gap in elite sports science and could help optimize training and evaluation methods in professional ice hockey.

Conditions

Grip Strength; Performance; Injuries

Keywords

grip strength; ice hockey; injury; professional; performance; game score; sports science; strength training; athletes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Game Score

  The Game Score used in this study is calculated as follows: Game Score = Offensive Game Score + Defensive Game Score Each component is defined below: Offense: Individual Contributions: * Goal: 0.75 * First assist: 0.7 * Second assist: 0.55 * Expected goals (xG): 0.5 On-ice Contributions (team performance with the player on the ice): * Goals for: 0.625 (for forwards), 0.425 (for defensemen) * Shots attempted for: 0.625 (for forwards), 1.7 (for defensemen) Defense: Individual Contributions: • Penalty minutes: 0.15 On-ice Contributions (team performance with the player on the ice): * Goals against: 0.4375 (for forwards), 0.575 (for defensemen) * Shots attempted against: 1.75 (for forwards), 2.3 (for defensemen) Each component is adjusted based on the player's minutes played in each game and is measured in goals above average.

  Calculated for each player at baseline and at follow-up, which will occur no earlier than 10 weeks and no later than 24 weeks.

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Shots on goal/game

  Calculated for each player at baseline and at follow-up, which will occur no earlier than 10 weeks and no later than 24 weeks.

• Shooting prescision

  Calculated for each player at baseline and at follow-up, which will occur no earlier than 10 weeks and no later than 24 weeks.

• Injuries

  From the start of the 2025/26 season on September 13th until the end of the season, defined by the date of the final playoff game.

Study Arms (1)

Grip Strength Training

EXPERIMENTAL

In the second phase of the study, a standardized grip strength training program will be implemented as the primary intervention. This program is designed to improve grip strength in professional hockey players over a defined period (details in Appendix D). All participants who completed Phase 1 will undergo this intervention. The training program includes specific exercises targeting the forearm flexors and extensors, wrist stability, and hand grip endurance. Typical exercises may involve hand grippers, wrist rollers, towel wringing, plate pinches, and resisted squeezing movements using elastic bands or putty. Training frequency, intensity, duration, and progression will be standardized and supervised to ensure consistency across participants. After completion of the training period, grip strength will be re-measured using the same HAKIR protocol and dynamometer. Performance metrics-game score, shots on goal, and shooting precision-will also be collected for the five games following

Other: Training following a predefined protocol.

Interventions

Training following a predefined protocol. OTHER

Training following a predefined protocol.

Grip Strength Training

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Professional hockey player signed in the SHL/SDHL/Hockey Allsvenskan
• No current hand injury

You may not qualify if:

• Not signed in the SHL/SDHL/Hockey Allsvenskan
• Current hand injury

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Dalarna County Council, Sweden: lead

Study Sites (1)

Leksands IF

Leksand, Region Dalarna, 79331, Sweden

Location

Related Publications (6)

• Jiang R, Westwater ML, Noble S, Rosenblatt M, Dai W, Qi S, Sui J, Calhoun VD, Scheinost D. Associations between grip strength, brain structure, and mental health in > 40,000 participants from the UK Biobank. BMC Med. 2022 Sep 9;20(1):286. doi: 10.1186/s12916-022-02490-2.

  PMID: 36076200 BACKGROUND

• Toong T, Wilson KE, Urban K, Paniccia M, Hunt AW, Keightley M, Reed N. Grip Strength in Youth Ice Hockey Players: Normative Values and Predictors of Performance. J Strength Cond Res. 2018 Dec;32(12):3494-3502. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000002815.

  PMID: 30216250 BACKGROUND

• Tavares Junior AC, Silva HS, Penedo T, do Amaral Rocha LGS, da Silva AS, Venditti Junior R, Dos-Santos JW. Correlation of the Handgrip Strength and Body Composition Parameters in Young Judokas. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2023 Feb 2;20(3):2707. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20032707.

  PMID: 36768073 BACKGROUND

• Trivic T, Eliseev S, Tabakov S, Raonic V, Casals C, Jahic D, Jaksic D, Drid P. Somatotypes and hand-grip strength analysis of elite cadet sambo athletes. Medicine (Baltimore). 2020 Jan;99(3):e18819. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000018819.

  PMID: 32011492 BACKGROUND

• Roberts HC, Denison HJ, Martin HJ, Patel HP, Syddall H, Cooper C, Sayer AA. A review of the measurement of grip strength in clinical and epidemiological studies: towards a standardised approach. Age Ageing. 2011 Jul;40(4):423-9. doi: 10.1093/ageing/afr051. Epub 2011 May 30.

  PMID: 21624928 BACKGROUND

• Ewing Fess, E. Clinical Assessment Recommendations. Michigan: In Casanova, J. S. (Ed.),American Society of Hand Therapists.; pp. 41-45). (2d edition; vol. 1992).

  BACKGROUND

Related Links

• Introduction to game score.
• Information on game score.

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Daniel Muder, MD, PhD

  Centre for Clinical Research Dalarna, Uppsala University, Sweden

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: MD, PhD

Model Details: In the second phase of the study, a standardized grip strength training program will be implemented as the primary intervention. This program is designed to improve grip strength in professional hockey players over a defined period (details in Appendix D). All participants who completed Phase 1 will undergo this intervention. The training program includes specific exercises targeting the forearm flexors and extensors, wrist stability, and hand grip endurance. Typical exercises may involve hand grippers, wrist rollers, towel wringing, plate pinches, and resisted squeezing movements using elastic bands or putty. Training frequency, intensity, duration, and progression will be standardized and supervised to ensure consistency across participants. After completion of the training period, grip strength will be re-measured using the same HAKIR protocol and dynamometer. Performance metrics-game score, shots on goal, and shooting precision-will also be collected for the five games following

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 20, 2025
• First Posted: August 11, 2025
• Study Start: November 5, 2025
• Primary Completion: February 9, 2026
• Study Completion: February 9, 2026
• Last Updated: April 24, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• 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.

Locations

SE (1)