Since its founding in 1998, USA Lacrosse has invested nearly $2 million in health and safety-related research funding to improve the well-being of lacrosse participants at all levels of play.
With the Sports Science & Safety Committee, we have access to leading experts on everything from concussion and commotio cordis to knee injuries and kinematics. On three different occasions, starting in 2007, we dove into USA Lacrosse's body of research and brought to light important findings that ultimately led to rules interventions and performance standards for head protection, chest protection and even the lacrosse ball itself.
October 2007
Our debut "safety issue" in 2007 had the following features:
- Protect Your Melon: Concussions are no laughing matter and discretion with head injuries is clearly the better part of valor.
- Mouthguards Need More than Lip Service
- Matters of the Heart: USA Lacrosse's plan for commotio cordis includes research, education and access to AEDs.
October 2013
Our October 2013 safety issue coincided with the hiring of the organizations director of health and sport safety. The package included the following articles:
- Lasting Impact: Concussions have real-life consequences. Just ask Brad Ross.
- What is a Concussion?: An in-depth Q&A with USA Lacrosse's resident experts.
- ACL Confessions: Four stars (Shannon Gilroy, John Grant Jr., Shawn Nadelen and Michelle Tumolo) share their experiences with the most dreaded injury in lacrosse.
- Life-Alterning Injury: Understanding the knee's complex biomechanics and how to get ahead of lacrosse's ACL problem.
January 2018
This issue dove into our expanded commitment to utilizing sport science to improve performance along with safety related information.
- Harness the Power: How kinematics could define the future of lacrosse injury and performance research.
- Knee Deep: Stay out of the training room with USA Lacrosse's ACL injury prevention program.
- Eclipse of the Heart: The new NOCSAE chest protector standard could reduce the likelihood of of a rare, but deadly on-field phenomenon.
- Passion to Protect: An all-access pass to Cascade Lacrosse's hub of helmet and headgear innovation.
