Rates of concussions and musculoskeletal injuries may have increased with the use of protective headgear in High School Girls Lacrosse. The study examined data for girls’ lacrosse players in Florida for the three years prior and three years after the implementation of the headgear mandate in 2015. Researchers also looked at similar data during the same time frame for boys’ lacrosse to help assess for changes in injury recording or reporting over the same time period.
For girls’ lacrosse, the years after the new helmet rule went into effect had significantly greater frequency of both concussions and musculoskeletal injuries compared to the years before players wore helmets. But there were no significant differences in concussions or other injuries in boys’ lacrosse during the same time period. “The findings underscore the importance of continuing to study the effects of FHSAA’s policy, which as of this season mandates the use of a hard-shell helmet. Everyone is for better player safety, but ‘more’ may not equate to ‘better’.”