Common Lacrosse Injuries The sport of lacrosse is a combination of basketball, soccer and hockey and is one of the fastest growing team sports in the United States. Youth participation has skyrocketed 138% since 2001. The game requires and rewards coordination and agility, not brawn. Quickness and speed are two of the highly prized qualities in lacrosse. An exhilarating sport, lacrosse is fast-paced and full of action. Long sprints up and down the field with abrupt starts and stops, precision passes and dodges are routine in men’s and women’s lacrosse. Due to the nature of the game and the surfaces that it is played on, lower extremity injuries to the foot, ankles, and knees are most common. Head Concussion Knee Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) Tear Medial Collateral Ligament Sprain (MCL) Lower Leg Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome (aka “shin splints”) Stress Fractures of the Tibia Ankle Lateral Ankle Sprains High Ankle Sprains – Syndesmosis Sprains