Study: Protective headgear for girls’ lacrosse players increases concussion risk because players become more aggressive
06/12/2018 // Carol Anderson // Views

In 2015, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) mandated all educational institutions under its wings to provide protective headgear for their girls' lacrosse team. It was meant to reduce the number of injuries players get during games; however, a study has shown that the preventive measure led to an even higher injury rate.

Dr. Daniel Herman, the lead author of the study, hinted that the use of protective headgear might have caused the increase of concussion and musculoskeletal injury rates in high school girls' lacrosse. (Related: Just ONE head injury increases your risk of Parkinson's by 56 percent.)

Three years prior and three years after the implementation of the mandate, Herman studied the data collected from girls' lacrosse players across Florida. At the same time, the team of researchers examined similar data of members of boys' lacrosse team during the same period of time for comparison.

It turned out, the years following the directive from FHSAA, the girls reported a significantly higher rate in terms of concussions and musculoskeletal injury as compared to the rated before they started wearing headgear. Meanwhile, no significant change was seen in the boys' data.

Dr. Herman and his team concluded that there's a possibility that the girls are getting more injuries due to increased aggressiveness. It appears they are more confident to play roughly since they, and their opponents, are wearing protection.

The games have changed

Former player and current lacrosse team coach, Leslie Klenk, agreed that the helmets had given the girls heightened security to play more aggressively. She added, "Because they know now that people are protected, nobody's going to get hurt. Or they're not going to get hurt by the stick or the errant ball to the head."

Brighteon.TV

But it's not the same for Andy Haskell, coach for the Gardiner's girls' lacrosse team. He said he didn't see any changes in the behavior of her players – ruling out the suggestion that they have become more aggressive. According to him, it just so happened that the sport is being played by well-trained humans who are also receiving better coaching.

"Girls are probably passing the ball harder through the critical scoring area than they were shooting 20 years ago,” Haskell said. “They’re better athletes, and when you have better athletes playing at a faster pace with a higher level of skill … situations happen," Haskell explained.

Meanwhile, parents who have daughters playing lacrosse like Klenk loved the idea of putting on a helmet on her child's head. She revealed that the most common hits in lacrosse are from sticks which don't hurt that much. What's more dangerous, she added, are collisions with other players, hitting the ground, and the balls flying around.

As for Haskell, although the protective headgear will not stop a possible concussion, it may reduce the risk of severe head injuries. "I just felt very strongly about the headgear and the kids’ concussions. You just want to keep kids playing, you want them to enjoy the sport, you want them to feel safe."

Currently, only Florida has this type of mandate. Players are only provided with goggles and mouth guards for protection. The U.S. Lacrosse team has approved two types of protective headgear for girls. The first one is the Cascade LX which has an integrated eyewear. The second option is from Hummingbird which must be worn with approved eyewear.

Find out more about head injuries, concussions and how they can affect you at Brain.news.

Sources included:

NewsWise.com

SunJournal.com



Take Action:
Support Natural News by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NaturalNews.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.
App Store
Android App
eTrust Pro Certified

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2022 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
Natural News uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.