Effect of Impact Mechanism on Head Accelerations in Men's Lacrosse Athletes.

Quantifying head impacts is a vital component to understanding and preventing head trauma in sport. Our objective was to establish the frequency and magnitude of head impact mechanisms in men's lacrosse athletes. Eleven male lacrosse athletes wore xPatch sensors during activity. Video footage of practices and games was analyzed to verify impacts and code them with impact mechanisms. The authors calculated incidence rates (IRs) per 1000 exposures with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and used multivariate analysis of variances to compare the linear (g) and rotational (rad/s2) accelerations between mechanisms. A total of 167 head impacts were successfully verified and coded with a mechanism using video footage during 542 total exposures. The highest IR was head to body (IR = 118.08; 95% CI, 89.15-147.01), and the lowest was head to ball (IR = 3.69; 95% CI, 0-8.80) (incidence rate ratio = 32.00; 95% CI, 67.83-130.73). Analysis indicated that impact mechanism failed to significantly alter the combined dependent variables (multivariate F10,306 = 1.79, P = .06, η2 = .06, 1-ß = 0.83). While head to head, body to head, and stick to head mechanisms are penalty-inducing offenses in men's lacrosse, head to ground, head to ball, and combination impacts have similar head accelerations. If penalties and rules are created to protect players from traumatic head injury, the authors recommend stricter enforcement.

Comparison of head impact location during games and practices in Division III men's lacrosse players.

BACKGROUND: Head impacts have been studied extensively in football, but little similar research has been conducted in men's lacrosse. It is important to understand the location and magnitude of head impacts during men's lacrosse to recognize the risk of head injury. METHODS: Descriptive epidemiology study set on collegiate lacrosse fields. Eleven men's lacrosse players (age=20.9±1.13years, mass=83.91±9.04kg, height=179.88±5.99cm) volunteered to participate. We applied X2 sensors behind the right ear of participants for games and practices. Sensors recorded data on linear and rotational accelerations and the location of head impacts. We calculated incidence rates per 1000 exposures with 95% confidence intervals for impact locations and compared the effect of impact location on linear and rotational accelerations with Kruskal-Wallis tests. FINDINGS: We verified 167 head impacts (games=112; practices=55). During games, the incidence rate was 651.16 (95% confidence interval=530.57-771.76). The high and low incidence rates for head impact locations during games were: side=410.7 (95% confidence interval=292.02-529.41) and top=26.79 (95% confidence interval=3.53-57.10). For games and practices combined, the impact locations did not significantly affect linear (χ23=6.69, P=0.08) or rotational acceleration (χ23=6.34, P=0.10). INTERPRETATION: We suggest further research into the location of head impacts during games and practices. We also suggest player and coach education on head impacts as well as behavior modification in men's lacrosse athletes to reduce the incidence of impacts to the side of the head in an effort to reduce potential injury.