5 Most Common Lacrosse Injuries
What are the most common lacrosse injuries?
- Ankle Sprains
- Contusions
- Wrist fractures
- Knee Sprains
- Back Pain
1. Ankle Sprains
The most common injury that happens during the game of lacrosse is an ankle sprain. An ankle sprain, otherwise known as a sprained ankle, is an injury caused by rolling, twisting, or turning one’s ankle in an abnormal way. This awkward movement in the ankle stretches or even tears the ligaments holding the ankle bones together, causing intense pain depending on the severity of the sprain.
Sprained ankles usually occur when someone engages in quick and fast movement, not allowing the feet to land on the ground correctly. Lacrosse is a high intensity, high endurance sport, causing the players to be quick on their feet at all times. Because of this, players often roll their ankle, and they either continue playing or have to leave the game and sit on the bench if the pain is too much to overcome.
2. Contusions
It is no surprise that contusions have made the list of most common lacrosse injuries because not only is lacrosse a highly interactive sport, but the sport also mandates that all players use a lacrosse stick. A contusion is when sudden force hits an area of the body causing the injured capillaries or blood vessels to leak blood into the hit area; a contusion is the technical term for a bruise. These are incredibly common in lacrosse because many players can be hit with the firm lacrosse ball, be checked or slashed with the lacrosse stick, or even have an opposing player cause a contusion.
3. Wrist Fractures
A wrist fracture is another popular injury that happens on the lacrosse field. A wrist fracture is when the joint that connects the hand to the forearm has been compromised, due to a carpal bone or the distal radius (the larger bone in the wrist joint) breaking. These are common injuries because lacrosse is a contact sport and utilizes a metal stick as the primary piece of equipment. A lacrosse player may fracture their wrist if they fall on the field holding their stick, or if an opposing player misses the stick of the lacrosse and checks the players in the wrist.
4. Knee Sprains
A knee sprain is an injury that happens often during many contact field sports, including lacrosse. A knee sprain could either be a tear on the Medial Collateral Ligament (MCL) or the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). These tears are stretched or torn ligaments that connect the thigh bone to the shin bone. ACL or MCL injuries are incredibly painful and take months to rehabilitate and recover. They occur most often when a stick hits the leg from the side or if they fall in an awkward position.
5. Back Pain
Back pain is a popular injury that many lacrosse players suffer from. Back pain is discomfort on one’s back, and usually for lacrosse players, this discomfort stems on the lower half. Lacrosse players often get this injury from either a cross check from an opponent or from shooting. Players use their entire body to shoot the ball into the net, including their back muscles, causing them to cause major discomfort.