The Lacrosse Lab Investigates the Relationship Between OM and SM in High-Intensity Competition

The sport of lacrosse is a fast-paced, full-contact sport that requires high-intensity bouts of exertion produced during competition, practice, and training programs. The physical rigor of the game is highly demanding and contributes to elevated injury rates during both play and participation in training programs. Physical collision contact is the leading affliction responsible for game and practice sustained injuries in the sport (10).

The ability of athletes to recover from these highly stressed corporeal demands is the primary determinant of an athlete’s performance and injury risk. Therefore, objective methods of monitoring recovery status and predicting future performance is an area of need for coaches and practitioners working in the field of team sports (11,12).

Current research in this field has demonstrated that both OM and SM can be reliably measured with simple and cost-effective techniques (1,6). However, the relationship and comparability of these metrics during a period of high-intensity competition remains unclear. The aim of the current study was to investigate the relationship between SM and OM in collegiate lacrosse competition over the course of an entire season.

For the purposes of this investigation, a field testing battery was designed that would allow the measurement of various aspects of an athlete’s performance in a controlled environment. Each test was selected to explicitly simulate a biomechanically stressful movement or sequence of physical exertions that are commonly performed in the field of play.

In order to provide an accurate assessment of an athlete’s linear sprinting speed, a 40-yd sprinting test was used as the standard measurement. This test distance has been established as a reliable measurement of linear sprinting speed in athletic testing, and provides a good comparison to the demands of a 60-min lacrosse match (12).

To assess external workloads, a GPS tracking device was worn by each athlete during all matches. The data collected included total distance, sprint distance, speed zones, top speeds, and accelerations and deceleration efforts. The results of this investigation found significant gender differences in external workload parameters across a season. In addition, positional differences were also observed, with midfielders exhibiting the highest TD, SD, and distances in speed zones 2-5 compared to other positions.

Researchers at Mason University will soon begin US Lacrosse-funded research that uses sensors to better understand how and why head injuries happen. The researchers will attach small devices called GForce trackers to the helmets of male players and X2 patches behind the ears of female players. These sensors will gather data about how and when head impacts occur, as well as a wide variety of other information related to player movement patterns. The goal is to help rule makers develop policies that will better protect young athletes from potentially serious injuries. For more on the research, click here.