Scoping review of lacrosse: match demands, physical performance and injury surveillance

Background Lacrosse has seen an uptake in participation in the last two decades. Moreover, with small-sided variants (box lacrosse [BL] and sixes lacrosse [SL]), with the latter being considered by the international Olympic committee. However, for athletes to perform at the highest level across the variations of lacrosse (field lacrosse [FL], BL and SL), sports coaches, practitioners and national governing bodies need to understand the demands, physical performance characteristics and injury incidence. Objective The objective of this scoping review is to explore the current state of the literature around lacrosse in key areas (match and training demands, physical performance and injury incidence). We additionally aimed to identify knowledge gaps in the literature. Methods The latest methodological guidance Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews for scoping reviews was followed. A systematic literature search was conducted in several electronic databases (ProQuest, PubMed, SCOPUS and institutional library), using relevant key terms. The present study is largely descriptive and quantifies proportions (%) of studies. Results Of the 4223 studies identified using the systematic search strategy, 120 studies were included within the final synthesis. 14 studies identified match or training demands across competitive levels and variations. 30 studies identified physical performance: 28 studies on FL athletes and two studies on BL. 75 studies identified injury incidence from lacrosse, all studies observed FL. Conclusions According to the results of this scoping review, there are large gaps within the literature that should be addressed. As international SL will be included in Olympic events this should be a focus of future research, attempting to identify match and training demands, physical performance characteristics and injury incidence. Moreover, as SL players are likely to be also participating in FL and BL, it could rapidly increase the demands placed upon players, both physically and psychologically.