Injuries in Elite Men’s Lacrosse

Results: Over 9 days, 667 players from 29 countries competed in 105 games. A total of 150 injuries were sustained by 129 individuals aged 16 to 46 years. Five times more injuries occurred during games than in training (69.3% [n 1⁄4 104] vs 13.3% [n 1⁄4 20]; rate ratio [95% CI] 1⁄4 5.2 [4.9-5.5]), resulting in 39.5 injuries per 1000 hours played. The most frequent mechanism was contact (53.3%; n 1⁄4 80), including direct impact with another player (30%; n 1⁄4 45), with a stick (16.7%; n 1⁄4 25), or with a ball (5.3%; n 1⁄4 8). Change of direction and/or speed were the most common noncontact mechanisms (27.3%; n 1⁄4 41). The most frequently reported injuries were contusions (32.0%; n 1⁄4 48), sprains (22.7%; n 1⁄4 34), and strains (22.7%; n 1⁄4 34). The lower limb was the most injured body part (50.7%; n 1⁄4 76) compared with the upper limb (23.3%; n 1⁄4 35; rate ratio [95% CI] 1⁄4 2.2 [2.1-2.3]). The ankle was the most injured joint (14.0%; n 1⁄4 21), followed by the shoulder (10.0%; n 1⁄4 15).