How safe is Lacrosse?

by Tom
(VA)

How safe is lacrosse?

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Answer:

Another Great Question,

While I believe in general Lacrosse is reasonably safe. I want to preface this answer by stating that there is risk associated with playing Lacrosse as there is with any sport. And severe injury and death do occur. My answer is partly based on facts and partly on opinion and from personal experience. I am in no way an expert in the area of Lacrosse Safety and you must decide for yourself how safe it is.

Now that I have scared you to death let me say this. In my opinion Lacrosse is relatively safe as compared to sports similar in nature.

How safe really depends on the level and type of Lacrosse. Women's Lacrosse is primarily a non contact sport and injuries are typically minor in nature. The reduced level of protection girls wear is an indication of the lower risk associated to women's lacrosse.

Men's Lacrosse is classified as a contact sport by the NCAA similar to Hockey or Football, but Lacrosse ranks very low in overall injury statistics compared to those and other major contact sports.

Most reported injuries are of the sprain and bruise type, but as in any sport, serious injuries can, and do happen.

Lacrosse Equipment today is typically very good, and the understanding of what causes injury is better than ever. More and more focus is being placed on injuries like concussion as is the case in football and other contact sports as well.

US lacrosse has a Sports Science and Safety committee specifically dedicated to research and the promotion of safety in the sport.

You can learn more here: US Lacrosse Sports & Science Safety Committee

Another excellent reference for Lacrosse Injury information can be found here: OrthoSupersite.com

On a personal note from my own experiences from the youth perspective say 6-10 year old boys, and without any statistics to back me up. I believe serious injuries are typically low. Contact among the little guys is usually not as violent. Although major collisions do occur, those kids just don't weigh too much and the speeds are slower compared to high school or college kids. And as a result the collisions are typically not as violent. The most common complaints are with things like a hard shot to the body. The balls are hard and do at times hurt. They will bruise. And stick checks that hit bare skin on the arms, along with ankle sprains. Those are the most common sources of pain the kids will face in my experience. You have to personally weigh the risks of participation as you would in any sport. All sports have injuries and even in rare cases deaths. I don't believe the injury risk with Lacrosse is any different. You need to decide that for yourselves.