Lacrosse is the oldest sport in America, drawing it’s roots hundreds of years back to Native American culture. Lacrosse is also the fastest growing sport in the U.S. the past decade, spreading to more schools than football and basketball. Lacrosse has elements of hockey and football in it’s game, demanding speed and physicality from players. With the fast-pace nature of the sport and the amount of contact between players, the chance of being struck by the ball, and the use of sticks all exponentially increase the risk of injury for players.

Girls and boy’s lacrosse differ slightly in rules and equipment leading to different types of injuries. In men’s lacrosse, helmets are required and contact between players is legal, which is the main cause of injury. Helmets aren’t required in women’s lacrosse and player-to-player contact is illegal. Strikes to the head from player’s sticks and the ball is the main cause of injury to female players.  

The most common lacrosse injuries for both boys and girls are:
• Concussion
• Muscle strains
• Non-contact ankle and knee ligament sprains
• Shin splints
• ACL and MCL tears

ACL and MCL tears are the most common injury that result in lost game and practice time for both girls and boys, requiring surgery to repair the torn ligaments. After recovering from surgery, patients have to undergo physical therapy to strengthen the knee.

Lacrosse is a diverse sport and what position you play will determine what kind of physical therapy you’ll receive. Midfielders, who play both offense and defense, will need more endurance focused training to traverse the field. An attacker will most likely want to work on returning their quick and explosive movements.

The Physical Therapy Experience located in Smithtown and Oceanside provides patients with personalized and compassionate care. They understand the difficult situation facing rehabilitating athletes, and use their 20 years experience to get patients back on the field as quickly as possible.