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Injuries in intercollegiate women's lacrosse
Samuel O Matz1, Gregg Nibbelink
1Advanced Centers for Orthopaedic Surgery and Sports Medicine and McDaniel College, Westminster, Maryland 21157, USA. smatz@acossm.com
The American Journal of Sports Medicine
|April 20, 2004
Summary
Women
Area of Science:
- Sports Medicine
- Athletic Injury Epidemiology
Background:
- Women's lacrosse historically lacked protective equipment.
- Growing concerns over head and face trauma in the sport.
- A 2003 rule change mandated goggles starting in 2005.
Purpose of the Study:
- To survey women's lacrosse injuries across seasons and institutions.
- To categorize injury rates and patterns in the sport.
Main Methods:
- Prospective survey design.
- Standardized report-of-injury forms collected from institutions.
- Injuries defined as events causing missed games or practices.
Main Results:
- Overall injury rate was 3.8 per 1000 athlete exposures (2001-2003).
- Head and face injuries accounted for 38.5% of all injuries (1.4 per 1000 exposures).
- Eye injuries represented 11.5% of total injuries (0.43 per 1000 exposures).
- Competition injury rate (8.8/1000) significantly higher than practice rate (2.7/1000).
Conclusions:
- Findings support the need for protective eyewear in women's lacrosse.
- Significant and increasing risk of head and face trauma observed.
- Further research is necessary to track injury trends with evolving protective gear rules.