Injury in Elite Men's Lacrosse: An Observational Study During the 2010 World Championships

Abstract

There is limited data on injuries sustained while playing men's lacrosse. As the sport gains popularity, practitioners will be more likely to treat lacrosse players. The aim was to gather and analyse injury surveillance data from the 2010 Men's Lacrosse World Championships to recognise potential injury patterns, establish risk of injury, and identify possible means for prevention. This is a prospective observational study of injuries reported during the 2010 Men's Lacrosse World Championships. Data was categorised into Body Part Injured, Diagnosis, Mechanism, and Time of Injury. Over nine days, 29 countries competed in 79 games, with 667 players taking part. A total of 150 injuries were sustained by 129 individuals aged 16 to 46 years old. Five times more injuries were reported to have occurred during games than during training or warm-up sessions (n=104(69%) versus n=20(13%), rate ratio =5.20). An injury rate of 39.5 injuries per 1000 hours played was calculated (95% CI=32.5, 48.0). The most frequent mechanism was contact (n=80, 53%), including direct impact with another player (n=45, 30%), with a stick (n=25, 17%) or ball (n=8, 5%). Change of direction, twisting and sprinting were the most common non-contact mechanisms of injury (n=41, 27%). The most frequently reported injuries were contusions (n=48, 32%), closely followed by sprains (n=34, 23%) and strains (n=34, 23%). The lower limb was the most injured body part, reported twice as often as upper limb injuries (n=76(51%) versus 35(23%), rate ratio =2.17). The ankle was the most commonly injured joint (n=21, 14%) followed by the shoulder (n=15, 10%). As participation in men's lacrosse expands, health professionals could be responsible for treating lacrosse players. The combination of physical play, athleticism and equipment used means players are susceptible to a range of injuries. Familiarity with the sport's common injury-patterns could help in treatment and prevention.

The First Decade of Web-Based Sports Injury Surveillance: Descriptive Epidemiology of Injuries in US High School Boys' Lacrosse (2008–2009 Through 2013–2014) and National Collegiate Athletic Association Men's Lacrosse (2004–2005 Through 2013–2014)

“…Overall, collegiate lacrosse players had higher rates of injury than high school players (Table 1). This finding aligns with previous literature 15, [23][24][25][26] comparing other contact sports across the age spectrum, which suggested that athletes at higher levels of play may be more competitive and play more aggressively and, therefore, be injured more frequently. This might reflect a more timeintensive and rigorous practice schedule for collegiate athletes, which could improve their skills and potentially reduce contact-related injuries but increase the likelihood of noncontact and overuse injuries.…”

“…Injury patterns in our study were similar to those in previous lacrosse research [13][14][15] : the most commonly injured body parts at the high school level were the head/face, lower leg/ankle/foot, and knee. Collegiate lacrosse athletes most often sustained injuries to the hip/thigh/upper leg, ankle, and knee, which is also consistent with prior studies 10,15,21,26 showing that lower extremity injuries represented the greatest burden (Table 4). Ligament sprains and muscle/tendon strains were typical in both high school and collegiate players, similar to previous research (Table 5).…”

Men’s Lacrosse Injuries in the 2018 International World Championship Play

“…12 The only other previous injury data of international lacrosse reported an injury rate of 39.5 injuries per 1000 hours of play. 21 However, we did not have the available data to calculate hours of play and could not make a direct comparison with this injury rate. That said, both the 2018 and the 2010 world championship reported contusions, sprains, and strains as the most common types of injury.…”

“…1 A total of 46 countries competed in these games, compared with just 5 teams in 1990 and 29 teams in 2010. 1,21 Additionally, in 2018, the FIL received a provisional recognition status from the International Olympic Committee (IOC). 16 The current IOC recognition does not guarantee lacrosse a place at the Olympic Games but is a major step toward achieving this goal.…”

“…4,6,8 –10,12,14,17,20 Only 1 other study analyzed men’s lacrosse injuries at the professional level. 21 Men’s lacrosse uniquely exposes athletes to injuries associated with overhead sports, collision sports, and sports utilizing handheld equipment (sticks). 9 Observing and analyzing common injuries in men’s lacrosse at the elite level will help to guide officiating and safety as well as proper medical staffing and emergency protocols at major international events.…”