This post contains affiliate links.
Throughout my years of playing lacrosse, I’ve seen players get many types of injuries. I’ve had some of these injuries myself. However, when I first started playing lacrosse, I always wondered if it is possible for me to break a bone if I get hit by a lacrosse ball and I bet you did too. Here’s what you need to know.
In general, it is possible for a lacrosse ball to break a bone depending on how fast it is thrown and where it hits a person. However, it is very rare to break a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse ball since it is usually not thrown at very high speeds during a normal game.
While it is rare to break a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse ball, it is not impossible. When doing some research about the possibility of breaking a bone, I came across some interesting facts that you would like to know.
Can a Lacrosse Ball Break a Bone?
While it is possible to break a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse ball, it is very uncommon. You are more likely to fracture a bone than break one. Factors such as ball speed, area of impact, and gender of the person affect the likeliness of breaking a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse ball.
Some people consider bone fractures as bone breaks and others think that these are two separate things. Either way, more people experienced bone fractures while playing lacrosse than bone breaks.
“The hand/wrist is the most commonly fractured site in girls’ lacrosse.”
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
You can find the full article from NCBI’s website about lacrosse musculoskeletal injuries here.
In this article NCBI also states “Boys and men incur head or facial fractures at a frequency of 3% to 3.5% of all head injuries, whereas girls and women incur higher fracture frequencies of 14.0% to 20.9% of all head injuries.”
While they don’t speak about bone breaks specifically, they did talk about bone fractures. Although these concepts can be the same, bone fractures are still not really common in lacrosse.
Statistically speaking, the amount of bone fractures that could occur from a lacrosse ball alone is most likely even rarer than that.
As seen in the quote, these statistics change when it comes to the gender of the person experiencing the fracture.
*By the way, I recently wrote an article about If It Is Possible for A Lacrosse Stick Can Break A Bone. This article talks about if it is possible to break a bone when getting hit by a lacrosse stick and what to expect. You can check out this article here!
How Fast Would I Have to Throw a Lacrosse Ball to Break a Bone?
On average, a lacrosse ball would have to travel at speeds of above 90 miles an hour (145 Kilometers) when hitting a person to break a bone depending on some factors. These top speeds are rarely reached in most lacrosse games which is why bone breaks by a lacrosse ball are not as common.
Throughout a typical lacrosse game, most lacrosse balls are shot in close quarters and do not have a long enough distance to pick up speed and cause a bone to break.
Most of the bone fractures experienced in lacrosse occur from other events such as falls or hits.
To avoid most of these injuries, lacrosse is a contact sport that needs to be played with the correct safety equipment in mind. If you are properly prepared, you are less likely to get hurt!
Knowing this made me more confident playing lacrosse and not as afraid to get hit by the ball.
Choosing the right lacrosse stick for you is one of the most important things to do. After having many lacrosse sticks throughout the years, the best one that I came across was the STX Lacrosse Fortress 700 Complete Stick. This lacrosse stick comes with a Crux Mesh Pro Pocket and is perfect for any lacrosse player to use. You can check out this Stick on Amazon!
Does Getting Hit with a Lacrosse Ball Hurt?
As a general rule, getting hit by a lacrosse ball hurts. However, if you are wearing the proper lacrosse safety equipment, it is less likely to hurt when getting hit by a lacrosse ball. Safety equipment cushions the impact of the lacrosse ball when it hits the body.
I remember my first time getting hit by a lacrosse ball. While it stung a little, the chest protector that I was wearing softened most of the impact of the ball.
Always Wear Your Safety Equipment!
Even though I was hit by the ball, I continued playing like nothing happened.
Since then, I have always worn my lacrosse safety equipment no matter where I played lacrosse. I even wore the equipment during practice.
*Side Note, I recently wrote an article about The Best Lacrosse Ball Alternatives for Playing Lacrosse. This article talks about the 5 best lacrosse ball substitutes that could be used instead of a lacrosse ball. You can check out this article here!
What are the Most Common Injuries in Lacrosse?
The most common injuries in lacrosse are wrist fractures, knee sprains, ankle sprains, concussions, and contusions. These injuries are common in lacrosse since it is a contact sport and can sometimes be rough. Make sure to play safely and always wear your lacrosse safety equipment.
These main injuries are vastly seen in other contact sports as well!
Since most contact sports are very physical in nature, it is not uncommon to have injuries. After all, it says “contact” in contact sports for a reason.
Common Lacrosse Ball Accidents and Incidents
While practicing lacrosse, there are many accidents that could occur. I’ve surveyed some of my friends and family and came up with a list of common lacrosse ball accidents:
- Breaking a window
- Breaking a car mirror
- Putting a dent in a car
- Putting dents in house piping
- Putting dents in garage doors
Make sure to practice lacrosse in an area away from houses or cars!
Since a lacrosse ball is made of a hard material, it is very common to have unanticipated accidents such as window breaks and car dents.
*By the way, I recently wrote an article about What Is a Lacrosse Ball Made Of. This article talks about what’s in the middle of a lacrosse ball and how it is made. You can check out this article here!
