Return to Lacrosse

06/17/2020

Lacrosse is quickly growing into one of the most popular sports in North America. From 2009 to 2014, the growth rate for lacrosse has been 28 percent. The sport requires athleticism, coordination and agility, not to mention a bit of pain tolerance. Injuries can happen pretty frequently when sticks are being swung around at a high rate of speed. OrthoNebraska’s athletic trainers provide coverage for Nebraska Lacrosse.

Lacrosse Injury Prevention

The most common injuries our sports medicine orthopedic surgeons, physical therapists and athletic trainers see for lacrosse are:

• Concussions
• Hand and wrist fractures or other injuries
• Knee sprains (ACL, MCL)
• Deep contusions or bruises
• Shoulder A/C joint separations
• Clavicle fractures

Conditioning

With an abbreviated offseason or shorter ramp up time to high intensity practices and games due to COVID-19, conditioning is probably the biggest factor for injury prevention. Lacrosse practices and games can resume July 1 according to Nebraska directed health measures Phase III guidelines. Lacrosse conditioning is somewhere between football and soccer, with some endurance needed, but still a good amount of high intensity burst followed by relative rest. This also may vary slightly depending on your position. So, we recommend the following:

Interval Sprints for Endurance

Syracuse lacrosse uses the following. Work up to the full routine if fatigued.

Squat Jumps for Explosiveness

• Transfer your weight from your heels to the balls of your feet to create force
• Keeping your gaze elevated, breathe in and tuck your shoulders into your back pocket with chest expanded
• Exhale and jump up with arms driving upwards and pointed towards the sky
• Return arms down and land softly with knees bending to absorb the shock of landing
• To increase the impact level, you can fold your arms across your chest and only use your leg strength to create velocity.

We recommend starting with 10 reps and building to 25, with keeping good form.

Shoulder Taps for Core Strength and Stability

• Assume a pushup position
• Quickly remove one hand from the ground and tap the opposite shoulder, before returning it to the ground
• Repeat with the other hand
• While some weight transfer is necessary, try to minimize it

This exercise is difficult at first for most, so do as many reps as you can in 30 seconds and perform more as you become more proficient over time. You can increase the time as well for a greater challenge.

Skill Development

Wall Ball

• Find a hard and durable (brick or concrete work best) wall
• Stand about 10 feet from the wall
• Do each of these throws 100 times, always hitting the same spot on the wall
  • Right hand throw and catch
  • Left hand throw and catch
  • Right hand throw, left hand catch
  • Left hand throw, right hand catch
  • Quick stick right hand
  • Quick stick left hand.

Watch this video for a visualization.

Line Drills

You are probably used to doing these at practice, but they can be modified for extra reps at home.

• Line up 25 yards from a partner, who also has a lacrosse stick. Or, they could use a baseball glove.
• Pass the ball back and forth with your partner, in the following manner:
  • Right hand throw to right hand catch.
  • Left hand throw to left hand catch.
  • Right hand throw to left hand catch.
  • Left hand throw to right hand catch.

Social Distancing

The guidelines our government officials issued for returning to youth sports, like other public health measures, limits the spread of the virus through contact and the air. Avoid sharing things like water bottles/coolers and towels – as well as frequently sanitizing any shared equipment is very important.

In addition, it is recommended to:

• Maintain a six-foot distance from players when not an active participant in the play
• Practice proper hand hygiene
• Refrain from spitting anywhere near other players

These common sense measures will help keep this game we love safer for everyone and help prevent the spread of COVID-19 amongst teams or leagues.

We have orthopaedic surgeons who specialize in sports medicine and specific body parts, meaning you are getting an expert in the anatomy and function for your injury. Our orthopedic specialist physical therapists can also help to speed recovery and restore function. Call (402) 609-3000 for an appointment.