Health & Safety
The following article is part of a content partnership with TrueSport, a positive youth sports movement powered by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA). TrueSport has partnered with more than 20 sport NGBs to promote a positive culture of youth sport with expert content and programming.
Returning to sport from illness of any kind can be tricky, and with the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s only gotten more difficult. But even a simple cold or stomach bug can leave an athlete sidelined without a clear idea of when it’s safe or advisable to return to sport.
Dr. Trish Kelshaw, PhD, an assistant professor at the University of New Hampshire, has been involved in three research studies, funded in part by USA Lacrosse, to measure attitudes about women’s headgear among players, coaches, and officials. She presented her findings in a recent webinar hosted by USA Lacrosse.
The first, and smallest, of her three studies was a pilot study with high school players from one team in Virginia. Players were surveyed both before and after one season of headgear use (pre and post), with the following findings from the responses:
This Monday, December 13, USA Lacrosse is hosting its newest webinar in the women’s headgear series, entitled “Perceptions of Headgear Use in Women’s Lacrosse.’ This virtual event will feature findings from recent research by Dr. Trish Kelshaw, PhD, at the University of New Hampshire.
The webinar is free and open to all but requires advance registration.
Last month, the findings from a three-year study that examined the effect of protective headgear use on concussion incidence in female high school players were shared publicly during the 2021 USA Sports Medicine Symposium. The research was jointly funded by USA Lacrosse and NOCSAE.
As follow-up, USA Lacrosse is hosting a free, two-part webinar on Tuesday, November 16 (7 pm EST) that will continue the discussion from two different viewpoints.
As everyone knows, using the proper protective equipment in any sport greatly enhances player safety. In lacrosse, that includes new chest protectors and shoulder pads that meet the NOCSAE performance standard ND200, significantly reducing the risk of commotio cordis.
Dr. Daniel Herman, lead investigator of a three-year study that examined the effect of protective headgear use on concussion incidence in female high school players, provided the first detailed presentation of the research findings during the 2021 USA Lacrosse Sports Medicine Symposium, presented by MedStar Health.
Herman’s 16-minute presentation is available in its entirety below.
USA Lacrosse, the governing body of men’s and women’s lacrosse in the United States, has entered a new three-year partnership with Stryker, one of the world’s leading medical technology companies, to serve as the Official AED provider of USA Lacrosse and the U.S. National Teams.
As part of this partnership, USA Lacrosse members will receive discounted pricing on Stryker’s AEDs (automated external defibrillators), which include the LIFEPAK CR2 and HeartSine devices.
The importance of mental health and mental performance for athletes of all ages was the focus of the recent SheCompetes webinar hosted by USA Lacrosse. Normalizing the conversations in this space and viewing mental health as just another tool in an athlete’s tool kit was one of the main points of emphasis among the presenters.