The sport of men's lacrosse is experiencing growth at both the youth and collegiate levels. A total of 29 countries competed in the 2010 Men's World Championships, whereas only 5 competed in 1990.
Along with this growth, there is a persistent need to understand the epidemiologic data concerning injuries in elite lacrosse. Lacrosse athletes are exposed to both noncontact and contact injuries in a setting minimal protective equipment. The epidemiology of injuries sustained by elite lacrosse athletes is not well known yet is vital to support the medical care of future athletes and to support the safe growth of the game.
Existing literature has examined the overall epidemiology in high school and collegiate lacrosse, the incidence of head injury, as well as a more focused analyses on head and facial injuries, and shoulder injuries. A new men's professional lacrosse league premiered in 2019, consisting of 6 inaugural teams, which presents a unique opportunity to study elite level lacrosse injuries and track them over time. The purpose of this study is to describe the epidemiology of injuries sustained from the 6 teams participating during its inaugural season. Our goal was to examine the association of age, team, player position, field surface, timepoint in the season, and anatomic location of injuries reported.
Full link here: https://www.cartilagejournal.org/article/S2667-2545(22)00049-X/fulltext
Author
Dr. Catherine Logan, MD, MBA
Catherine Logan, MD, MBA, MSPT, is a sports medicine orthopaedic surgeon specializing in complex knee and shoulder surgery at Colorado Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics (COSMO) in Denver, Colorado. As a former physical therapist & trainer, Dr. Logan provides a distinct expertise in sports injury, prevention, and surgical management.
