Central Pennsylvania Lacrosse

The US Lacrosse Sports Science and Safety Committee was formed in 1999. The committee was formed to take a closer look at injury prevention and sports medicine issues involved with the game of lacrosse. The committee meets three times a year in Baltimore at the US Lacrosse headquarters plus selected committee members conduct informative presentations at the annual US Lacrosse National Convention in January. The committee also composes Position Statements (right) on where the committee stands on important lacrosse safety issues.

Mission Statement
The Board of US Lacrosse established the Sports Science & Safety Committee to function as an advisory group to the leadership and to the various committees of US Lacrosse, as well as to serve as a source of lacrosse sport safety education for the entire lacrosse community. The goal of this committee is to utilize the existing sports medicine literature, and to grow the body of lacrosse safety knowledge in order to objectively advise US Lacrosse and the lacrosse community on factors that may enhance the safety and quality of experience in the sport of lacrosse at all levels.

Free CDC Tool Kit on Concussion for High School Coaches!
Concussions can happen to any athlete—male or female—in any sport. Concussions are a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), caused by a blow or jolt to the head that can range from mild to severe and can disrupt the way the brain normally works. More than 300,000 people sustain sports- and recreation-related TBIs every year in this country. Coaches, athletic directors and trainers play a key role in helping to prevent concussion and in managing it properly if it occurs.

To reduce the number of this type of injury, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), with the support of partners and experts in the field, has developed a tool kit for coaches titled, Heads Up: Concussion in High School Sports. This kit contains practical, easy-to-use information including a video and DVD featuring a young athlete disabled by concussion, a guide, wallet card and clip board sticker for coaches, posters, fact sheets for parents and athletes in English and Spanish, and a CD-ROM with downloadable kit materials and additional concussion-related resources. Get your tool kit today!

Below are some useful links from outside sources about Sports Science and Safety issues with lacrosse and sports in general matters.

Acompora Foundation: Louis J. Acompora Memorial Foundation. Special focus on AED's placement in schools nationwide.

National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research: Collects death and permanent disability sports injury data that involve brain and/or spinal cord injuries.

NCAA Injury Surveillance System (ISS): Developed in 1982 to supply current and reliable data on injury trend in intercollegiate athletics.

• Women's Lacrosse Injury Surveillance System 2006-07 (PDF)
• Men's Lacrosse Injury Surveillance System 2005-06 (PDF)
• Men's Lacrosse Injury Summary 1983-2003 (PDF)
• Women's Lacrosse Injury Summary 1986-2003 (PDF)
• 2003-04 Men's Lacrosse All School Report (PDF)
• 2003-04 Women's Lacrosse All School Report (PDF)

Journal of Athletic Training:
The following four articles from the June, 2007 issue are provided here in PDF format with permission. 

         • NCAA ISS Commentaries: Introduction and Methods 
         • Epidemiology of Collegiate Injuries for 15 Sports 
         • Descriptive Epidemiology of Collegiate Men's Lacrosse Injuries
         • Descriptive Epidemiology of Collegiate Women's Lacrosse Injuries 


National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE): Helps to commission research on athletic equipment and, where feasible, helps to establish standards for protective athletic equipment.

Protective Eyewear Certification Council: Tests and certifies eyewear with the purpose to reduce eye injuries.

Sportsmanship Card Program: Created by the US Lacrosse Youth Council to help insure a positive culture for the sport at the youth lacrosse level.