Concussions in sports is a rising topic across the globe, and lacrosse concussions are just as dangerous as the rest. In boys lacrosse at the high school level across the country, lacrosse helmets are required and rightfully so, but there’s a discrepancy that needs to be addressed; why aren’t girls required to wear lacrosse helmets? The first state to address this problem was Florida, who recently mandated the use of lacrosse helmets for both boys and girls universally.
Before making that decision, they dug deep into the statistics of each sport and other sports in comparison, both boys and girls, and found some interesting information. Most people might assume that boys sports are generally more violent and physical, with more mass being thrown around and therefore more injuries. In general, boys lacrosse is a full-contact sport, and girls lacrosse is not, and while there are more total injuries in boys sports, the severity and percentage of those injuries being to the head and face was actually HIGHER in girls sports by a small percent. The state feels like wearing lacrosse helmets can only help that cause.
Overall their studies found that girls lacrosse has the fifth highest rate of concussions out of all of the 22 major sports they studied. In boys lacrosse, over 75 percent of the concussive injuries they sustained were from player to player contact, but in girls lacrosse, 64 percent of lacrosse concussions came from what they deemed “player-apparatus contact”, or being hit in the head from the lacrosse ball or stick, which is quite different altogether. With this in mind, the opposite side of the coin argument for lacrosse helmets, being that wearing one might actually increase the aggressiveness of the wearer and cause more injuries by making them feel more protected, wouldn’t really apply with that not being the source of the injuries in the first place and would greatly reduce injury from stick or ball to head incidents.
The rule in Florida for the required use of lacrosse helmets is actually quite flexible, and many athletes choose to wear headbands, while a large percentage are also choosing Gamebreaker’s soft padded headgear as a better, more affordable alternative. Our soft shell padded lacrosse helmets include an adjustable chin strap and comes in a variety of colors and sizes with custom logo application. Purchase yours today!