17 Common Lacrosse injuries (Prevention & Treatment)

17 common lacrosse injuries in one place: sprains and strains, concussions, fractures, shin splints and lower back pain.

Stick checks, sprinting and repeated shooting also cause rotator cuff and elbow trouble, hip and groin strains and dislocated shoulders, each with its own causes, symptoms and prevention pointers.

Dive in and learn how to protect yourself, avoid mishaps, and have fun playing the sport you adore.

Injury Rates and Numbers

The figures below come from injury surveillance data and peer reviewed studies. Each row names the population it was measured in, because rates from elite athletes and from recreational players are not comparable.

Finding	Measured in	Source
Boys’ high school lacrosse had a competition injury rate of 3.8 per 1,000 athletic exposures and a practice rate of 1.5 in the 2021/22 season.	boys’ high school lacrosse (convenience sample, expanded study), 2021/22 school year	National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO), NFHS/Datalys Center, Dr. Christy Collins
Girls’ high school lacrosse had a competition injury rate of 3.2 per 1,000 athletic exposures and a practice rate of 1.6 in the 2021/22 season.	girls’ high school lacrosse (convenience sample, expanded study), 2021/22 school year	National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO), NFHS/Datalys Center, Dr. Christy Collins
The head and face was the most commonly injured body site in both boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse, with strain/sprain the most common diagnosis.	boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse, 2021/22 school year	National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO), NFHS/Datalys Center, Dr. Christy Collins
8.5 percent of boys’ high school lacrosse injuries required surgery and 9.2 percent kept the athlete out for more than three weeks, in the 2021/22 season.	boys’ high school lacrosse, 2021/22 school year	National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO), NFHS/Datalys Center, Dr. Christy Collins
The share of girls’ high school lacrosse injuries requiring surgery fell from 16.5 percent in 2020/21 to 4.2 percent in 2021/22.	girls’ high school lacrosse, 2020/21 vs. 2021/22 school years	National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO), NFHS/Datalys Center, Dr. Christy Collins

Overview

Injury	Body area	Typical time out
Sprains and Strains (ankles, knees, etc.)	Ankle and knee	1 to 8 weeks, 3 months if complete
Concussions	Head	2 to 4 weeks, longer if symptoms persist
Fractures	Arm, hand and collarbone	6 to 12 weeks, 3 to 6 months if operated
Overuse Injuries	Shoulder, elbow and lower leg	6 to 12 weeks of modified training
Knee Injuries	Knee	2 weeks to 12 months by structure
Shin Splints	Lower leg	2 to 6 weeks, longer if stress fracture
Cuts and Bruises	Skin and soft tissue	Days to 2 weeks, 3 to 6 if deep
Hand Injuries	Hand and wrist	2 to 8 weeks, 12 weeks for scaphoid
Lower Back Pain	Lower back	1 to 4 weeks, 3 months for bone stress
Head Injuries	Head and face	1 to 2 weeks, 4 to 6 if facial fracture
Back Injuries	Back	1 to 8 weeks, 3 months with nerve pain
Hamstrings, Quadriceps, and Groin Injuries	Thigh and groin	2 to 12 weeks, 3 months if complete
Hip Injuries	Hip	2 to 12 weeks, 3 to 6 months for labrum
Abrasions	Skin	0 to 5 days, longer if infected
Dislocations (Shoulder, Finger etc.)	Shoulder and fingers	2 to 12 weeks, 4 to 6 months if operated
Rotator Cuff Injuries	Shoulder	6 to 12 weeks, 6 to 9 months if repaired
Elbow Injuries	Elbow	2 to 12 weeks, 3 months if ligament

Sprains and Strains (ankles, knees, etc.)

A sprain is an overstretch or tear of a ligament, most often the anterior talofibular ligament on the outside of the ankle, while a strain is the same damage in a muscle or its tendon. In lacrosse both happen when you plant a foot to dodge, cut behind the net, or land off balance after contact, so the joint rolls or the muscle is loaded while it is still lengthening. Studded cleats grip the turf and hold the foot in place while the body keeps rotating, which is exactly the moment the tissue gives way.

Symptoms

• Sudden pain at the moment of the cut or roll, often with a pop or tearing feeling.
• Swelling within a few hours, sometimes with bruising that tracks down toward the toes.
• The joint feels loose or unreliable when you try to change direction.
• Pain when you press on one specific spot rather than the whole area.
• Limping, or being unable to push off the injured leg at full speed.

How serious it is: Both injuries are graded 1 to 3: grade 1 is a stretch with a few torn fibers and near normal stability, grade 2 is a partial tear with clear swelling and some looseness, grade 3 is a complete rupture with an unstable joint or a palpable gap in the muscle. Grade 3 injuries and any inability to take four steps on the leg belong in a clinic, since a fracture can feel the same on the field.

Typical time out: One to three weeks for a grade 1 ankle sprain, three to eight weeks for a grade 2, and three months or more for a complete tear or an injury that needs surgery. The spread is wide because the same grade behaves very differently depending on which structure tore and how much of the season is left to load it properly.

See a doctor if: See a clinician if you cannot bear weight for four steps, if there is numbness or a cold foot, or if the joint looks visibly out of shape.

What helps

• Load the joint early within the limit of pain instead of resting it completely; protected walking speeds up recovery.
• Short cooling in the first hours for pain relief only, not as the treatment itself.
• Progressive balance and single leg work, since poor ankle control is the strongest predictor of a repeat sprain.
• A brace or taping for the first months back in contact play, which measurably lowers re-injury risk.
• Imaging if you could not weight bear or if pain sits directly on bone, to rule out a fracture before returning.

Concussions

A concussion is a functional disturbance of the brain caused by rapid acceleration or rotation of the head, not by a bruise on the skull, so it can happen without any blow to the helmet at all. In lacrosse it typically follows a shoulder or stick contact to the head, a ball to the head, or a body check that whips the head sideways. Head and face injuries are the most common in both boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse, which is why any head contact deserves attention.

Symptoms

• Headache or pressure in the head that builds over the following hour.
• Feeling foggy, slow, or unable to follow the play.
• Dizziness, nausea, or sensitivity to light and noise.
• Trouble remembering the minutes around the hit.
• Sleep that is worse than usual and irritability over the next days.

How serious it is: There is no useful field grading anymore; a concussion is judged by how symptoms behave over the following days rather than by whether you lost consciousness. Loss of consciousness, seizure, repeated vomiting, or worsening headache suggests a more serious head injury and needs emergency assessment.

Typical time out: Most athletes are symptom free within two weeks and back to full contact after a stepwise return that takes at least another week, so roughly two to four weeks in total. A minority take one to three months, usually those with a previous concussion, migraine history, or an early return that provoked symptoms again.

See a doctor if: Go to an emergency department for any loss of consciousness, seizure, repeated vomiting, unequal pupils, weakness on one side, or a headache that keeps getting worse.

What helps

• Come off the field immediately and do not return the same day, whatever the score.
• Rest for the first 24 to 48 hours, then start light activity such as walking rather than lying in a dark room for a week.
• Follow a stepwise return to running, then non contact drills, then contact, moving up only if symptoms stay quiet.
• Get medical clearance before contact, and treat any second concussion in the same season far more conservatively.
• Ask about vestibular and neck physiotherapy if dizziness or neck pain is still there after two weeks.

Fractures

A fracture is a break in the bone itself, from a hairline crack to a displaced break with the ends out of line. In lacrosse the usual causes are a slash to an unprotected forearm or hand, a fall onto an outstretched arm that breaks the wrist or the collarbone, and a direct ball strike, which at shooting speed carries enough energy to crack the small bones of the hand. The collarbone and the small hand bones are the ones that show up most often.

Symptoms

• Immediate sharp pain that does not settle after a few minutes on the sideline.
• Pain on one exact point of bone when you press it.
• Rapid swelling, and bruising that appears over the following day.
• A visible bend, step, or shortening compared with the other side.
• You cannot use the limb normally, for example you cannot grip the stick or lift the arm.

How serious it is: The dividing lines are whether the pieces have moved out of line, whether the break enters a joint surface, and whether the skin is broken. An undisplaced crack usually heals in a cast or splint, while a displaced or open fracture needs realignment and often fixation with plates or screws.

Typical time out: Six to twelve weeks for most undisplaced arm, hand, or collarbone fractures before contact play, and three to six months after surgical fixation or when the break involves a joint surface. Small finger fractures can be back sooner in a protective splint, while a scaphoid fracture in the wrist is notoriously slow because its blood supply is poor.

See a doctor if: Get seen the same day for any visible deformity, an open wound over the break, numbness, or fingers that turn pale or cold.

What helps

• Immobilize the limb as it lies and get an x ray rather than testing whether it still works.
• Follow the immobilization time you are given, since a break that is loaded too early can shift or fail to unite.
• Start moving the joints above and below the cast early to limit stiffness.
• Rebuild grip and shoulder strength with a physiotherapist before you go back to stick work.
• Wear the protective splint or padding you are prescribed for the first weeks of contact play.

Overuse Injuries

Overuse injuries are tissue failures that build up when the load on a tendon, muscle attachment, or bone rises faster than the tissue can adapt, so no single moment causes them. In lacrosse the repeated overhead shooting and passing motion loads the rotator cuff tendons and the elbow, while the constant sprint and stop pattern loads the shins and the patellar tendon. Tendon tissue under this pattern becomes disorganized rather than simply inflamed, which is why it responds to graded loading and not to rest alone.

Symptoms

• Pain that starts near the beginning of a session, eases as you warm up, and returns worse afterward.
• Stiffness in the area on the morning after a heavy practice.
• Pain that appears earlier in each session as the weeks go on.
• Loss of velocity or accuracy on your shot without an obvious injury.
• Tenderness on the tendon itself rather than the joint line.

How serious it is: The practical scale runs from pain only after activity, to pain during activity that does not limit it, to pain that changes how you play, to pain at rest and at night. The first two stages usually settle with load management, while pain at rest points to advanced tendon change or a stress fracture and needs assessment.

Typical time out: You rarely stop completely: expect six to twelve weeks of modified training for a shoulder or elbow tendinopathy, and three to six months if it has been ignored for a season or if a bone stress injury is involved. The range is wide because recovery depends on how much throwing volume can be cut without cutting it to zero.

See a doctor if: See a clinician if the pain wakes you at night, sits on a single point of bone, or has not improved after six weeks of reduced load.

What helps

• Cut volume rather than stopping: reduce shot count and stick sessions by roughly half instead of resting fully.
• Add heavy slow or eccentric loading for the affected tendon, which is the best evidenced treatment for tendinopathy.
• Track weekly shooting and running load and raise it in small steps after a break rather than returning to full volume.
• Have your shooting mechanics checked, since a shot driven from the arm instead of the hips and trunk overloads the shoulder.
• Treat a corticosteroid injection as an exception only: it can relieve pain briefly but tends to leave tendons worse in the long run.

Knee Injuries

The knee injuries that matter in lacrosse are ligament tears, most often the anterior cruciate ligament, meniscus tears where the cartilage pad is trapped between the bones during a twist, and patellar tendinopathy from repeated jumping and deceleration. They happen on a planted foot with the knee falling inward during a dodge or a sudden stop, and on side on contact that pushes the knee across the fixed foot. The tissue that fails depends on the direction of the force, not on how hard the collision looked.

Symptoms

• A pop or tearing sensation at the moment of the cut, followed by the knee giving way.
• Swelling within the first hours, which points to bleeding inside the joint.
• The knee locks, catches, or will not fully straighten.
• Pain on the joint line when you squat or twist.
• A feeling that the knee cannot be trusted when you change direction.

How serious it is: Ligament injuries are graded 1 to 3, from a stretch to a complete rupture with an unstable joint. A knee that swells within an hour, locks, or gives way should be assumed to have a structural injury until it has been examined, while pain over the tendon below the kneecap without swelling is usually an overload problem.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a mild sprain or an irritated patellar tendon, six to twelve weeks after a meniscus trim, and nine to twelve months after an ACL reconstruction. The last figure is long because return depends on regained strength and control, not on healing time alone.

See a doctor if: Get assessed promptly if the knee swelled within an hour, locks in place, or gives way when you walk on it.

What helps

• Get an early examination for any knee that swells fast or gives way, since a missed meniscus or ACL tear costs more later.
• Start quadriceps and hamstring work immediately within pain limits to limit the strength loss that follows swelling.
• Use a neuromuscular program with landing, cutting, and single leg control, which lowers ACL injury rates in cutting sports.
• For patellar tendon pain, use heavy slow resistance work such as loaded squats rather than stretching or rest.
• Delay return to contact until single leg strength and hop performance are close to the uninjured side.

Shin Splints

Medial tibial stress syndrome is pain along the inner border of the shin bone where the deep calf muscles pull on the bone lining and where the bone itself is being remodeled faster than it can rebuild. In lacrosse it appears when running volume jumps at the start of preseason, especially on hard turf in cleats that offer little cushioning. It sits on the same spectrum as a tibial stress fracture, which is why ignoring it is the main risk.

Symptoms

• Aching along the inner shin that appears during running and fades with rest.
• Tenderness spread over a hand’s width of bone edge rather than one spot.
• Pain that starts earlier in each session as the weeks go on.
• Discomfort in the first steps of the morning after a hard practice.
• Mild swelling or a rough feel along the bone border.

How serious it is: Diffuse tenderness over several centimeters that eases with rest is the manageable form. Pain on one small point of bone, pain that persists when you hop on the leg, or pain at rest suggests a stress fracture and needs imaging before you run again.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks of reduced running for a mild case, and eight to sixteen weeks if it has progressed to a tibial stress fracture. The gap is large because a stress fracture requires real offloading while shin splints only require a lower running load.

See a doctor if: See a clinician if the pain narrows to a single point on the bone, hurts when hopping, or is present at rest and at night.

What helps

• Cut running volume by about half and keep fitness with cycling or pool running instead of stopping training entirely.
• Raise running load by small weekly steps afterward rather than returning to full preseason volume at once.
• Strengthen the calf and foot, since weak calf endurance shifts load onto the bone.
• Rotate between turf cleats and cushioned trainers, and avoid doing all conditioning on hard surfaces.
• Get imaging if pain is focal or has not improved after several weeks of reduced load.

Cuts and Bruises

A bruise, or contusion, is bleeding inside the muscle or under the skin after a direct blow, while a cut is a break in the skin from a stick edge, a cleat, or the ground. In lacrosse most come from stick checks on the forearm and hand and from ball impacts on unpadded areas such as the thigh and shin. A deep thigh contusion is more than cosmetic, because blood inside the muscle can stiffen it badly over the following day.

Symptoms

• Immediate local pain at the point of impact.
• Discoloration that appears over hours and spreads downward with gravity.
• A firm, tender lump in the muscle after a heavy blow.
• Loss of range of motion, for example a thigh that will not bend past ninety degrees.
• Bleeding, or a wound that gapes open at its edges.

How serious it is: A superficial bruise or a shallow cut is a nuisance. A contusion becomes serious when the muscle loses more than half its normal range, and a cut becomes serious when it gapes, is deeper than the skin, crosses a joint, or will not stop bleeding with pressure.

Typical time out: A few days to two weeks for most bruises and simple cuts, and three to six weeks for a deep thigh contusion that has stiffened the muscle. Wounds that were stitched usually need one to two weeks before contact so the edges are not pulled apart.

See a doctor if: Seek care for bleeding you cannot stop with pressure, a wound with visible fat or tissue in it, or a bruised limb that becomes tight, numb, and increasingly painful.

What helps

• Apply firm direct pressure to a bleeding wound, then clean it with running water and cover it.
• For a thigh contusion, gently keep the knee bent in the first hours to limit stiffness rather than resting the leg straight.
• Short cooling for pain in the first hours, then gentle movement within the pain limit.
• Get a wound closed within a few hours if it gapes, and check tetanus cover after a dirty ground injury.
• Watch a deep bruise over the following days; a muscle that gets tighter and more painful instead of easing needs assessment.

Hand Injuries

The hand takes slashes directly, so the injuries are fractures of the small metacarpal and finger bones, dislocations of the finger joints, and tears of the ligaments at the base of the thumb when the stick is wrenched sideways. Gloves absorb some energy but the padding over the back of the hand and the thumb is thin, and a ball or stick arriving at speed concentrates force on a small area. Wrist injuries usually come from a fall onto an outstretched hand rather than from a check.

Symptoms

• Pain and swelling over one bone or one knuckle rather than the whole hand.
• A finger that sits crooked or rotates when you make a fist.
• You cannot grip the stick or the grip is weak and painful.
• Bruising across the back of the hand within a day.
• Pain in the hollow at the base of the thumb when you press it, after a fall on the hand.

How serious it is: Simple sprains and superficial bruising settle quickly. A finger that is rotated or angled, a knuckle that has lost its normal contour, and tenderness at the base of the thumb after a fall all suggest fracture or ligament rupture and need x ray, since some of these do badly if treated as bruises.

Typical time out: Two to four weeks for a jammed or sprained finger with buddy taping, four to eight weeks for a metacarpal fracture, and eight to twelve weeks or more for a scaphoid fracture or a repaired thumb ligament. Scaphoid injuries take longest because the bone’s blood supply is limited.

See a doctor if: Get an x ray for any crooked or rotated finger, a lost knuckle contour, or tenderness at the base of the thumb after a fall.

What helps

• Buddy tape a sprained finger to its neighbor and keep it moving rather than splinting it straight for weeks.
• Get imaging early for suspected fractures; several hand fractures look trivial and heal badly if missed.
• Start gentle range of motion as soon as the injury is protected, since stiff finger joints are hard to recover.
• Rebuild grip strength progressively before returning to full stick work.
• Use a protective splint under the glove for the first weeks back in contact play.

Lower Back Pain

Most lacrosse back pain comes from the muscles and small facet joints of the lumbar spine, which are loaded by the repeated bend and rotate pattern of scooping ground balls and shooting. In younger players the repeated extension of an overhead shot can also stress the bony arch of the vertebra, a pattern known as a pars stress injury. Disc related pain is less common but announces itself differently, with symptoms running down the leg.

Symptoms

• A dull ache across the lower back after practice that eases with movement.
• A sharp catch when you bend to scoop or twist to shoot.
• Stiffness in the morning that loosens after ten minutes.
• Pain that runs into the buttock or down the leg, which points to nerve involvement.
• One sided pain that worsens when you arch backward.

How serious it is: Simple mechanical back pain moves around, changes with position, and settles within weeks. One sided pain on arching backward in a teenage player, pain that radiates below the knee, or any numbness or weakness in the leg is a different problem and needs assessment.

Typical time out: Often no full stop at all: one to four weeks of modified training for simple mechanical pain, six to twelve weeks for a stubborn episode, and three months or more for a confirmed pars stress injury. The wide spread reflects how differently muscular pain and bone stress behave.

See a doctor if: Seek care urgently for numbness in the groin, loss of bladder or bowel control, or leg weakness, and promptly for pain that wakes you at night.

What helps

• Keep moving and return to training in graded steps; prolonged rest makes back pain worse, not better.
• Build trunk and hip strength with loaded carries, hip hinges, and anti rotation work rather than endless sit ups.
• Work on hip mobility, since stiff hips push the rotation of a shot into the lower back.
• Coach the scoop from a bent knee and hinged hip instead of a rounded back.
• Get imaging in a young player with one sided extension pain, since a pars stress injury needs early offloading.

Head Injuries

Beyond concussion, the head and face take scalp lacerations, facial and nasal fractures, eye injuries, and dental damage from sticks, balls, and player contact. The head and face is the most commonly injured body site in both boys’ and girls’ high school lacrosse, and the exposure differs by version of the game: the men’s game uses a full helmet and face mask, while the women’s game has traditionally used eye protection only. A ball to the face therefore carries very different risk depending on what is worn.

Symptoms

• Bleeding from a scalp wound, which is often heavier than the wound size suggests.
• Swelling or a step in the contour of the nose or cheekbone.
• Double vision, or pain when you look up.
• A loose, moved, or knocked out tooth.
• Headache, confusion, or nausea, which point to a concussion on top of the visible injury.

How serious it is: A cut or a bruise without any brain symptom is minor. Any change in vision, a facial bone that feels stepped or moves, a knocked out tooth, or any confusion, drowsiness, or vomiting turns it into a same day medical problem.

Typical time out: One to two weeks for a stitched scalp cut before contact play, and four to six weeks for a nasal or facial fracture, often with a protective mask afterward. Anything with a concussion component follows the concussion timeline instead, which is the longer of the two.

See a doctor if: Go to an emergency department for changed vision, a facial bone that has visibly moved, clear fluid from the nose or ear, or any drowsiness or repeated vomiting.

What helps

• Control scalp bleeding with firm direct pressure and get the wound closed within a few hours.
• Keep a knocked out adult tooth moist in milk or saliva and see a dentist immediately; it can often be replanted.
• Screen for concussion every time, since a visible face injury distracts from the brain injury underneath.
• Use certified eye protection and a properly fitted mouthguard, and replace a helmet that has taken a heavy hit.
• Check fit rather than only presence: a loose helmet or displaced goggles protects far less than a fitted one.

Back Injuries

Back injuries here mean the structural end of the spectrum: strains of the erector spinae muscles, sprains of the ligaments between the vertebrae, and disc irritation where the disc bulges against a nerve root. In lacrosse these come from the combined bend, twist, and load of a shot, from a check taken while the trunk is rotated, and from a fall onto the back. Upper back and rib injuries from body checks belong here too, since a rib contusion can be as limiting as anything in the lumbar spine.

Symptoms

• Pain that locks the back after a specific movement or collision.
• Muscle spasm on one side that pulls you out of upright posture.
• Pain that shoots down one leg past the knee, with tingling or numbness.
• Pain on breathing in or coughing, which points to a rib injury.
• Weakness in a foot or ankle, for example a foot that catches when you run.

How serious it is: Muscular and ligament injuries hurt locally and settle over weeks. Nerve involvement, meaning pain below the knee with numbness or weakness, is more serious and takes longer, and any bladder or bowel change is an emergency.

Typical time out: One to three weeks for a muscular strain, four to eight weeks for a ligament injury or a rib contusion, and three months or more for disc related pain with nerve symptoms. The long tail is driven by nerve recovery, which cannot be rushed.

See a doctor if: Seek emergency care for loss of bladder or bowel control or numbness in the groin, and prompt care for leg weakness or pain after a fall from height.

What helps

• Return to gentle movement within days rather than lying flat; the spine recovers with load, not without it.
• Short term pain relief so you can move, agreed with a pharmacist or doctor.
• Physiotherapy focused on trunk endurance, hip strength, and rotation control rather than passive treatments.
• Modify practice by cutting shot volume and heavy lifting first, keeping running and stick handling.
• Reserve imaging for pain with nerve symptoms, after significant trauma, or when there is no progress over six weeks.

Hamstrings, Quadriceps, and Groin Injuries

These are muscle strains, tears at the junction between muscle and tendon, and they happen while the muscle is contracting and lengthening at the same time. The hamstring fails in the late swing phase of a sprint as it decelerates the shin, the quadriceps fails on a hard shot or a blocked kick style action, and the adductors in the groin fail on a sharp sideways push off during a dodge. Groin pain in lacrosse can also be a slow building overload of the adductor tendon rather than a sudden tear.

Symptoms

• A sudden grab or pull at the back of the thigh or in the groin during a sprint.
• Having to stop immediately, usually within a stride or two.
• Tenderness at one point along the muscle when you press it.
• Bruising down the back of the thigh over the following days.
• Pain when you stretch the muscle or push off at speed, even when walking feels fine.

How serious it is: Strains are graded 1 to 3: grade 1 is minor fiber damage with near normal strength, grade 2 is a partial tear with clear strength loss, grade 3 is a full tear, sometimes with a palpable gap and a large bruise. Pain located right at the sitting bone rather than in the muscle belly suggests a tendon avulsion and heals much more slowly.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a grade 1 strain, six to twelve weeks for a grade 2, and three months or more for a complete tear or a tendon injury at the bone that needs surgery. Hamstring injuries close to the sitting bone sit at the long end of the range even without surgery.

See a doctor if: See a clinician if you felt a pop with immediate large bruising, cannot walk normally, or feel a gap in the muscle.

What helps

• Begin gentle pain free loading within a few days instead of waiting for pain to vanish.
• Progress to eccentric work such as Nordic hamstring curls or Copenhagen adductor holds, which both treat and prevent these injuries.
• Rebuild sprinting in stages, since most re-injuries happen on a return to top speed that came too early.
• Address the trigger: limited hip mobility, a big jump in sprint volume, or weak adductors relative to abductors.
• Use a criteria based return, meaning full strength and pain free maximal sprinting, rather than a fixed number of weeks.

Hip Injuries

The hip injuries seen in lacrosse are hip flexor strains at the front, tears of the labrum, the cartilage ring that seals the socket, and irritation of the bursa on the outer hip. The shooting action loads one hip heavily in rotation while the trunk turns over a planted leg, which is exactly why long pole players often feel their trailing hip after a shooting session. Where the bone shape at the hip is slightly prominent, that deep rotation pinches the labrum repeatedly.

Symptoms

• Pain deep in the front of the hip or groin, often shown by cupping the hip with a C shaped hand.
• Clicking, catching, or a sense that the hip locks briefly.
• Pain when you sit for a long time or get out of a car.
• Aching at the front of the hip after shooting or sprinting sessions.
• Pain on the outside of the hip when lying on that side at night.

How serious it is: A hip flexor strain and outer hip bursitis usually settle with load management and strength work. Deep groin pain with clicking or catching that persists for months suggests a labral or bone shape problem, which is assessed with imaging and treated over a much longer period.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for a hip flexor strain, six to twelve weeks for stubborn outer hip pain, and three to six months for labral problems, longer after surgery. The range is wide because muscular injuries heal on their own schedule while joint problems depend on changing how the hip is loaded.

See a doctor if: See a clinician for hip pain after a fall in an older player, pain that will not let you bear weight, or groin pain with fever.

What helps

• Reduce shooting volume from the affected side first, since that is the specific load that provokes it.
• Strengthen the glutes and deep hip rotators, which control how the femur sits in the socket during rotation.
• Work on hip rotation range in both directions, since a one sided sport creates a one sided hip.
• Physiotherapy if deep groin pain persists beyond a few weeks, before it becomes a season long problem.
• Treat a corticosteroid injection as a short term aid at most, not the plan; it eases pain without changing the load causing it.

Abrasions

An abrasion is a scrape that removes the outer layers of the skin when a body part slides across turf or a hard surface. In lacrosse they come from diving for a loose ball, sliding after a check, and knees or elbows dragging on artificial turf, which is more abrasive than natural grass. The concern is not the depth but contamination, since turf surfaces carry bacteria into an open wound.

Symptoms

• A raw, stinging patch of skin, usually on the knee, elbow, hip, or forearm.
• Oozing of clear fluid or small spots of blood rather than steady bleeding.
• Grit or turf fibers visible in the wound.
• Increasing redness, warmth, or pus over the following days, which means infection.
• Pain that keeps the joint underneath from bending fully.

How serious it is: A superficial scrape that stops weeping within a day is minor. An abrasion that is deep enough to bleed steadily, that cannot be cleaned of debris, or that becomes red, warm, and increasingly painful after a couple of days needs medical care.

Typical time out: Usually none, or a few days if the wound sits over a joint that has to bend. Add one to two weeks if it becomes infected and needs antibiotics.

See a doctor if: See a clinician if redness spreads, the area becomes hot and increasingly painful after two days, or you develop a fever.

What helps

• Wash the wound with clean running water and remove grit, since embedded debris is the main cause of infection and scarring.
• Cover it with a non stick dressing and keep it slightly moist rather than letting a hard scab form.
• Change the dressing daily and before each practice, and use a fresh one after contact play.
• Check that your tetanus vaccination is current after a dirty ground injury.
• Keep the joint underneath moving so the healing skin does not tighten across it.

Dislocations (Shoulder, Finger etc.)

A dislocation is a joint whose surfaces have been forced completely apart, tearing the capsule and often the ligaments or the labrum that hold it together. The lacrosse shoulder dislocates when a check or a fall drives the arm backward while it is raised and rotated outward, and fingers dislocate when a ball or a stick strikes the fingertip and drives the joint sideways. A partial version, where the joint slips and returns on its own, damages the same structures.

Symptoms

• Immediate severe pain and an obvious change in the shape of the joint.
• The arm is held stiffly against the body and cannot be moved.
• A finger that is visibly angled or shortened.
• Numbness or tingling down the arm or in the fingertip.
• After it goes back in, a lasting sense that the joint might slip again.

How serious it is: A first time dislocation that reduces easily and stays stable is the milder version. Recurrent dislocations, a shoulder that dislocates in a young player, an associated fracture, or numbness that lasts after reduction all point to a more serious injury and often to surgery.

Typical time out: Six to twelve weeks before contact after a first shoulder dislocation, and four to six months after stabilizing surgery. Finger dislocations often allow return within two to four weeks with buddy taping, though the joint stays swollen and stiff for months.

See a doctor if: Go to an emergency department the same day for any joint that stays out of shape, and immediately if the limb is numb, pale, or cold.

What helps

• Have the joint reduced by a clinician rather than on the field, since an unrecognized fracture can be made worse.
• Keep the immobilization short but real, then begin rotator cuff and scapular work with a physiotherapist.
• Build strength and control in the outer ranges where the shoulder feels unstable, not only in comfortable positions.
• Discuss surgery early if you are young and it has dislocated more than once, since repeat instability damages the joint.
• For a finger, buddy tape and move it early to avoid a permanently stiff joint.

Rotator Cuff Injuries

The rotator cuff is four muscles whose tendons wrap the head of the humerus and hold it centered in the socket. In lacrosse they are loaded by the overhead shot, where they decelerate the arm after release, and by cradling and checking with the arm away from the body. Younger players usually develop tendinopathy, a disorganized and painful tendon, while older players are more likely to tear the tendon, either gradually or in a fall.

Symptoms

• Pain on the outer upper arm rather than the top of the shoulder.
• Pain when reaching overhead or behind you, for example putting on a jacket.
• Weakness when lifting the arm out to the side.
• Pain that wakes you when you roll onto that shoulder at night.
• A loss of shot velocity or the sense the arm is lagging behind.

How serious it is: Tendinopathy without weakness is the manageable end and responds to loading. Clear weakness on testing, an inability to hold the arm out after lowering it, or shoulder pain following a fall suggests a tear and needs assessment, since large tears in active players are often better repaired early.

Typical time out: Six to twelve weeks of modified training for tendinopathy, three to six months for a conservatively managed partial tear, and six to nine months after a repair. Surgical timelines are long because the repaired tendon must not be loaded early.

See a doctor if: See a clinician for real weakness lifting the arm, pain after a fall onto the shoulder, or night pain that does not settle within a few weeks.

What helps

• Progressive loading of the cuff and the shoulder blade muscles, which outperforms rest for tendon pain.
• Cut shot volume rather than stopping stick work altogether, and rebuild the count gradually.
• Fix the kinetic chain: a shot driven mainly by the arm because the hips and trunk are not contributing overloads the cuff.
• Add thoracic spine mobility work, since a stiff upper back forces the shoulder into more extreme positions.
• Consider a corticosteroid injection only as an exception; it can relieve pain briefly and tends to worsen tendon outcomes over time.

Elbow Injuries

The elbow in lacrosse is hit as often as it is overloaded. Direct trauma from slashes causes bruising of the bone, inflammation of the bursa on the point of the elbow, and occasionally fractures, while the repeated shooting motion irritates the tendons at the outer and inner bony bumps where the forearm muscles attach. The inner ligament of the elbow can also be stressed by the whip of a hard overhand shot, though far less than in overhead throwing sports.

Symptoms

• Pain on the bony bump on the outside or inside of the elbow when you grip.
• A soft, swollen lump on the point of the elbow after a fall or a slash.
• Weak or painful grip when you hold the stick.
• Pain that starts sooner in each shooting session.
• Numbness or tingling in the ring and little fingers.

How serious it is: Bursitis and tendinopathy are annoying but self limiting with load changes. A bursa that is red, hot, and painful with fever may be infected and needs urgent care, and pain with instability on the inner side of the elbow after a violent shot suggests a ligament injury.

Typical time out: Two to six weeks for bursitis or a bone bruise, six to twelve weeks for tendinopathy managed with loading, and three months or more for a ligament injury or a fracture. The tendon cases stretch out when shooting volume is not actually reduced.

See a doctor if: Seek care for a hot, red, swollen elbow with fever, for numbness in the hand, or for an elbow you cannot straighten after an impact.

What helps

• Reduce shooting and heavy gripping volume first, since grip is what loads these tendons.
• Add progressive wrist extensor or flexor loading, which is the evidence based treatment for elbow tendinopathy.
• Wear elbow pads that actually cover the point of the elbow, and replace flattened padding.
• Check stick handling technique and shaft grip thickness, since a thin grip forces harder squeezing.
• Get a hot, swollen bursa examined rather than draining or ignoring it, because infection needs antibiotics.

First Aid for Soft Tissue Injuries: PEACE and LOVE

Sports medicine has moved on from RICE. The current guidance, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine in 2019, splits care into the first days after the injury and everything that follows.

PEACE, the first two to three days

• Protect: unload the area and limit movement that hurts, but only briefly.
• Elevate: keep the limb above heart level when you can.
• Avoid anti-inflammatories: they may blunt the healing you need.
• Compress: a bandage or taping limits swelling.
• Educate: your body heals this on its own; passive treatments rarely speed it up.

LOVE, from day three onward

• Load: return to movement as pain allows, early loading builds tissue.
• Optimism: expectations shape recovery more than most people assume.
• Vascularization: easy cardio that does not hurt brings blood to the area.
• Exercise: restore strength, mobility and balance before returning to play.

Ice still helps with pain in the first hours. What changed is the evidence that long icing and routine anti-inflammatory drugs slow tissue repair.

How to Lower Your Risk in Lacrosse

• Build the specific tissues this sport breaks: eccentric hamstring work such as Nordic curls, Copenhagen holds for the adductors, and calf endurance work, kept up through the season rather than dropped after preseason.
• Control how fast your running and shooting volume rises. Most overuse injuries and shin problems appear in the two to three weeks after a sharp jump in load, so step up gradually after every break.
• Do a structured neuromuscular warm up with landing, cutting, and single leg balance drills before every session. Programs of this type lower knee and ankle injury rates in cutting sports, and they matter more than static stretching.
• Train the shot from the ground up. If the power comes from the arm rather than the hips and trunk, the rotator cuff and elbow absorb the difference, and hip rotation range on the trailing side needs regular work in a one sided sport.
• Fit the protection rather than just wearing it. A helmet or goggles that shift on impact, flattened elbow pads, and a missing mouthguard are common and cheap to correct, and head and face injuries are the most frequent in high school lacrosse.
• Take stick and body contact rules seriously in practice as well as games, and coach checking technique early. Illegal contact to the head is where the most costly injuries in this sport come from.

When to Stop and Get Medical Help

Most of the injuries on this page are treated at home. These signs are not.

• Any suspected concussion: confusion, a headache building after a hit, dizziness, or memory gaps. Come off and do not return the same day.
• Loss of consciousness, a seizure, repeated vomiting, or a headache that keeps worsening after a head impact.
• A visible deformity in a limb, or a joint that is clearly out of shape and will not move.
• Inability to bear weight for four steps after an ankle or knee injury.
• Numbness, tingling, or a limb that turns pale and cold after an impact.
• A knee that swells within an hour, locks in place, or gives way when you try to walk.

Sources

• National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (High School RIO), NFHS/Datalys Center, Dr. Christy Collins

This article is general information, not medical advice. If you are hurt, a doctor or physiotherapist who can examine you is worth more than any web page. Last reviewed: August 2026.

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