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. 2021 Jul 1;56(7):750-757.
doi: 10.4085/1062-6050-613-20.

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Lacrosse: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019

Abigail C Bretzin  1 , Bernadette A D'Alonzo  1 , Avinash Chandran  2 , Adrian J Boltz  2 , Hannah J Robison  2 , Christy L Collins  2 , Sarah N Morris  2
Affiliations

Epidemiology of Injuries in National Collegiate Athletic Association Women's Lacrosse: 2014-2015 Through 2018-2019

Abigail C Bretzin et al. J Athl Train. .

Abstract

Context: Lacrosse is an increasingly popular sport; the number of teams participating in collegiate women's lacrosse has increased by 21.4% in the past 5 years.

Background: The growth of National Collegiate Athletic Association women's lacrosse, coupled with the ongoing discussions surrounding protective equipment, necessitates further epidemiologic studies in this population.

Methods: Exposure and injury data collected in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Injury Surveillance Program during 2014-2015 through 2018-2019 were analyzed. Injury counts, rates, and proportions were used to describe injury characteristics, and injury rate ratios with 95% CIs were used to examine differential injury rates.

Results: The overall injury rate was 4.99 per 1000 athlete exposures. Less than 30% of injuries were time-loss injuries; injuries were most commonly attributed to noncontact (26.6%) and overuse (25.2%) mechanisms. The most commonly reported specific injuries were lateral ligament complex tears (ankle sprains; 9.1%), concussions (7.2%), and hamstring tears (3.8%).

Summary: Findings from this study were consistent with the existing epidemiologic evidence in previous studies. Injury incidence in practices, in preseason, and as a result of player contact warrant further attention in this population.

Keywords: collegiate sports; descriptive epidemiology; injury surveillance.

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Figures

Figure
Figure
Temporal patterns in injury rates between 2014–2015 and 2018–2019. A, Overall injury rates (per 1000 athlete exposures [AEs]) stratified by event type (practices, competitions). B, Injury rates (per 1000 AEs) stratified by season segment. C, Rates of time-loss injuries (per 1000 AEs) stratified by event type (practices, competitions). D, Rates (per 10 000 AEs) of most commonly reported injuries. Rates presented in all figures are unweighted and based on reported data.
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