Common Lacrosse Injuries

Lacrosse is America’s oldest and currently fastest-growing team sport.  

“Lacrosse is a moderate-risk sport, but more significant injuries do occur,” says Mark Cullen, MD, a Mass General Brigham sports medicine doctor. “Lacrosse is a high-paced game that prioritizes speed, fitness, and skill.” 

Dr. Cullen describes the most common lacrosse injuries, treatment options, and prevention tips. 

What’s the difference between girls’ lacrosse and boys’ lacrosse? 

Though sharing general concepts, the teams play by very different rules and use different protective equipment.  

Girls’ lacrosse uses a stick with a very shallow pocket. Body contact is limited and stick checking must be controlled and must be away from the head and body. Protective goggles and a mouthpiece are optional, but there is no other protective equipment.  

Boys’ lacrosse uses a stick with a deep pocket and is a high-contact sport. Helmets with full facemasks, shoulder pads, gloves, and mouthpieces are required. 

What are common lacrosse injuries?

There are a wide range of injuries in lacrosse. Injuries differ by age. High-quality coaching and officiating help to control contact and limit injuries. Most lacrosse injuries are minor strains and sprains, or bruises, but more significant injuries occur.   

Common lacrosse injuries include:

• Knee injuries, including anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tears, are the leading cause of lost game and practice time for both girls and boys. These occur both with and without contact.  Unfortunately, like soccer and basketball, ACL tears are more common in girls lacrosse.
  
• Ankle sprains commonly occur while cutting and dodging. Ankle sprains represent 21% of all reported injuries for girls and 16% for boys high school lacrosse. 
• Muscle strains of the hamstrings, quadriceps, and groin commonly occur in both girls and boys lacrosse. They are related to non-contact mechanisms and can be prevented with proper conditioning, fitness, nutrition, and hydration. 
• Concussions are not frequent but, unfortunately, do occur in lacrosse. In boys’ lacrosse, concussions are typically due to body-to-body contact and head-to-ground contact after a fall.  In girls lacrosse, concussions are most caused by stick checks and accidental ball contact to the head. These injuries most commonly occur in games rather than practice.   
• Facial and dental injuries are more of a concern in girls' lacrosse due to the lack of a helmet. It is important to always wear your mouthpiece and goggles to minimize injuries. 
• Shin splints are common and related to continuous running and changing field surfaces. Proper shoe wear and conditioning can help minimize these symptoms. 
• Bruises on the arm and thigh are common due to stick checks and the physical nature of both the boys and girls games. 
• Sunburn and heat overexposure are common problems with summer travel lacrosse. Getting out of the sun and hydrating between multiple games during summer tournaments are essential to stay safe while exercising in the heat.

How are lacrosse injuries treated?

Athletic trainers are present on the sidelines of high school lacrosse games and travel lacrosse tournaments. A health professional should evaluate athletes after an injury before resuming play. 

“Most minor injuries usually respond to rest and ice,” says Dr. Cullen. “More significant injuries require treatment with a physician, physical therapist, and athletic trainer to guide a progression back to lacrosse.”

It’s crucial to be appropriately evaluated and treated for suspected concussions. Dr. Cullen urges players to only return to play after they’ve been cleared by a physician trained in concussion management.

Lacrosse injury prevention tips 

Dr. Cullen suggests different tips to prevent injuries when playing lacrosse. Most importantly, he recommends being familiar with the different possible injuries for boys and girls, and to make sure rules are enforced to protect athletes.

“It’s a fast-paced game with limited contact.” explains Dr. Cullen. “This is what makes the game exciting and fun to play. Parents, coaches, officials, and players must learn and respect the rules of both games, understanding there are inherent differences between the two.”

Here are things you can do to prevent an injury:

• Report all injuries. Athletic trainers play an important role in evaluating injuries at games and tournaments. Increased use of athletic trainers at the youth lacrosse level is encouraged. Please discuss all injuries with team coaches when athletic trainers are not present. It’s essential to decrease training time and intensity if pain or discomfort persists.
• Practice and follow a healthy diet. Stay in shape year-round and to eat a healthy diet to prevent injuries. Before the lacrosse season, start a graduated plyometrics program, neuromuscular training, conditioning, and strength training geared toward lacrosse demands. Perform a dynamic warm-up and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts. Weight training is encouraged to prevent injuries in high school and collegiate lacrosse players.  
• Wear protective equipment to prevent serious injuries. It’s imperative for boys’ lacrosse players to wear helmets when shooting in practice and the backyard. The ricochet of a ball off the pipe to the head can cause severe head trauma.  
• Hydrate and rest. It is essential to hydrate and get proper rest to prevent overuse injuries.
  
• Protect yourself from heat and sun exposure. Proper sunscreen use helps limit skin damage and skin cancer risk.
• Make an emergency action plan. All lacrosse organizations should have a well-established emergency medical plan and injury prevention or education programs for their teams and tournaments.
• Take a break. Burnout is common in youth sports. To stay fresh and prevent overuse injuries, all lacrosse players should have at least 1 or 2 days a week and 1 or 2 months a year away from lacrosse.