Video Incident Analysis of
Concussions in Boys’ High School Lacrosse.
Lincoln AE, Caswell SV, Almquist JL, Dunn RE, Hinton RY. Am J Sports Med. 2013 Feb 14. [Epub
ahead of print]
ahead of print]
Take
Home Message: Video analysis of high school boy’s lacrosse indicated that most
concussions are related to the intentional use of helmets in impacts and that
the injured player is often not expecting a hit. Results from this type of
research have already had direct implications on rule changes in lacrosse.
Home Message: Video analysis of high school boy’s lacrosse indicated that most
concussions are related to the intentional use of helmets in impacts and that
the injured player is often not expecting a hit. Results from this type of
research have already had direct implications on rule changes in lacrosse.
In lacrosse, one of the
fasting growing sports in the United States, concussion is a significant concern.
Understanding the mechanisms of head injury in boy’s lacrosse could help us
develop new injury prevention strategies but unfortunately most of the previous
research has depended on eyewitness- or self-reported details. To improve our
understanding of game situations and injury mechanisms that contributes to
concussions Lincoln et al. systematically examined injury mechanisms of
concussion in high school boy’s lacrosse using video analysis. The authors hired
professional videographers to record home matches (varsity and junior varsity) from
25 schools over 2 years (518 games in 2008 and 2009). If an injury took place,
the athletic trainer communicated this to the videographer so they could record
the approximate time. Then, the researchers went back and reviewed each video
with time before and after each concussion. They evaluated over 64 characteristics;
for example, the position of the player, whether they had possession of the
ball, or if they were attempting to reach the ball. The authors analyzed 34 (50.7%) of the
game-related concussions, which mostly involved the varsity level athletes (65%)
as well as midfielders (53%) and defenders (27%). The majority of athletes with
a concussion (59%) did not have possession of the ball at the time of injury
and many (56%) were said to be ‘defenseless’. In 79% of the impacts the opposing player’s head
hit the injured athlete. Interestingly, none of the concussions occurred
because of hits from the ball or stick. The officials only called a penalty
after 9 (26%) impacts.
fasting growing sports in the United States, concussion is a significant concern.
Understanding the mechanisms of head injury in boy’s lacrosse could help us
develop new injury prevention strategies but unfortunately most of the previous
research has depended on eyewitness- or self-reported details. To improve our
understanding of game situations and injury mechanisms that contributes to
concussions Lincoln et al. systematically examined injury mechanisms of
concussion in high school boy’s lacrosse using video analysis. The authors hired
professional videographers to record home matches (varsity and junior varsity) from
25 schools over 2 years (518 games in 2008 and 2009). If an injury took place,
the athletic trainer communicated this to the videographer so they could record
the approximate time. Then, the researchers went back and reviewed each video
with time before and after each concussion. They evaluated over 64 characteristics;
for example, the position of the player, whether they had possession of the
ball, or if they were attempting to reach the ball. The authors analyzed 34 (50.7%) of the
game-related concussions, which mostly involved the varsity level athletes (65%)
as well as midfielders (53%) and defenders (27%). The majority of athletes with
a concussion (59%) did not have possession of the ball at the time of injury
and many (56%) were said to be ‘defenseless’. In 79% of the impacts the opposing player’s head
hit the injured athlete. Interestingly, none of the concussions occurred
because of hits from the ball or stick. The officials only called a penalty
after 9 (26%) impacts.
This study is important
because it highlights that many concussions in high school boy’s lacrosse are
associated with player-to-player impacts, especially when the injured athlete
is not anticipating a hit. Furthermore, it is concerning that many of these
impacts are initiated by the opposing player’s head. The authors suggest that
the main cause of concussions in high school boy’s lacrosse may be “the
intentional use of helmets during player-to-player contact”. The preliminary
findings from this study have already had widespread implications. The NCAA,
National Federation of State High School Associations, and US Lacrosse used the
preliminary data to implement rule changes in 2011 to 2012 that made it illegal
to intentionally use helmets during contact. It will be important to monitor
lacrosse to determine if the rule changes have benefit, but this is a good
example of how research can spark rule changes without compromising the game. In
addition, videotape impact analysis may also be able to help with concussion diagnosis
in the future if unclear initially. This could be the purpose of future
research. How do you think we can further prevent these ‘defenseless’ hits in
such sports as lacrosse and football? Do you think clinicians will ever use
videotape in their evaluation of concussion, especially in those injuries that
are not so straightforward?
because it highlights that many concussions in high school boy’s lacrosse are
associated with player-to-player impacts, especially when the injured athlete
is not anticipating a hit. Furthermore, it is concerning that many of these
impacts are initiated by the opposing player’s head. The authors suggest that
the main cause of concussions in high school boy’s lacrosse may be “the
intentional use of helmets during player-to-player contact”. The preliminary
findings from this study have already had widespread implications. The NCAA,
National Federation of State High School Associations, and US Lacrosse used the
preliminary data to implement rule changes in 2011 to 2012 that made it illegal
to intentionally use helmets during contact. It will be important to monitor
lacrosse to determine if the rule changes have benefit, but this is a good
example of how research can spark rule changes without compromising the game. In
addition, videotape impact analysis may also be able to help with concussion diagnosis
in the future if unclear initially. This could be the purpose of future
research. How do you think we can further prevent these ‘defenseless’ hits in
such sports as lacrosse and football? Do you think clinicians will ever use
videotape in their evaluation of concussion, especially in those injuries that
are not so straightforward?
Written by: Jill R.
Crosson D.O.
Crosson D.O.
Reviewed by: Jeffrey Driban
Related Posts:
Lincoln AE, Caswell SV, Almquist JL, Dunn RE, & Hinton RY (2013). Video Incident Analysis of Concussions in Boys’ High School Lacrosse. The American Journal of Sports Medicine PMID: 23413274
I think that this article is interesting and helpful. Almost all sports already tape their games and look at the films later to see different plays and errors made. I think film would be a great way to look at the injuries that occur during the game and see if there is anyway to help prevent them. It would be interesting to see this research done with other sports. I believe that the idea of filming games could only help clinicians with seeing injuries occur.
The idea of filming all games is a great idea. Most sports usually do this anyway to improve their play and fix and mistakes they made. Clinicians could use this as a way to watch the injury that occurred and analyze the mechanism of the injury. The good thing about filming is, the clinician can watch the video as many times as possible. This could help the clinician better understand how the injury occurred and if there is a way to eliminate that injury from happening again. I think all sports should look into filming all practices and games for this purpose.
I think it is a good idea for the games to be filmed. It can help implement rule changes such as not hitting with your helmet. The video may also be used to see any other clear-cut mechanisms of concussions. I think the referees need to be careful and make sure they are penalizing players who are using their helmets. Overall, I think filming the games is a great idea to research mechanisms of injury and what to do to try and prevent the injuries.