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Abstract
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CONTEXT: Proper management of cervical spine injuries in men's lacrosse players depends in part upon the ability of the helmet to immobilize the head.
OBJECTIVE: To determine if properly and improperly fitted lacrosse helmets provide adequate stabilization of the head in the spine-boarded athlete.
DESIGN: Crossover study. SETTING: Sports medicine research laboratory. PATIENTS OR OTHER PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen healthy collegiate men's lacrosse players. INTERVENTION(S): Participants were asked to move their heads through 3 planes of motion after being secured to a spine board under 3 helmet conditions. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Change in range of motion in the cervical spine was calculated for the sagittal, frontal, and transverse planes for both head-to-thorax and helmet-to-thorax range of motion in all 3 helmet conditions (properly fitted, improperly fitted, and no helmet).
RESULTS: Head-to-thorax range of motion with the properly fitted and improperly fitted helmets was greater than in the no-helmet condition (P <.0001). In the sagittal plane, range of motion was greater with the improperly fitted helmet than with the properly fitted helmet. No difference was observed in helmet-to-thorax range of motion between properly and improperly fitted helmet conditions. Head-to-thorax range of motion was greater than helmet-to-thorax range of motion in all 3 planes (P <.0001).
CONCLUSIONS: Cervical spine motion was minimized the most in the no-helmet condition, indicating that in lacrosse players, unlike American football players, the helmet may need to be removed before stabilization.
Language: en |