Proper Helmet Fit in Boy's Lacrosse: A 13-Point Checklist

To provide maximum protection against head injuries, helmets worn by athletes in contact sports such as youth lacrosse, need to fit correctly, but a new study [1]of youth lacrosse players age 8 to 14 years finds that less than half of lacrosse helmets are properly fitted. (Williams, 2014).

Because no validated helmet fit checklist currently exists in the literature,* researchers created, with the assistance of 2 helmet and protective equipment content experts, the following checklist to assess whether a lacrosse helmet fits properly:

Helmet fits head snugly on all sides.
Helmet covers the base of the skull.
Helmet does not impinge neck movement.
Crown of helmet is 1 to 2 fingers above eyebrows.
Helmet does not cover eyes when pressing down.
Facemask does not slip when pulled to left or right.
Facemask does not slip when pulled up and down.
Chin straps have equal tension.
All snaps and screws are in place.
All padding is in place.
The helmet appears in good condition.
NOCSAE lacrosse certification sticker is visible.
Skin on forehead moves with helmet front and back and left to right.

The checklist items with the lowest compliance in the youth lacrosse players' helmets examined in the study were Number 13 (58%), Number 4 (65%) and Numbers 6,7 (77%).

Please note that this is a checklist for assessing proper helmet fit. It does not provide guidance as to how to obtain proper helmet fit in the initial instance.

Source:

Williams RM, Valovich McLeod TC, Register-Mihalik JK, Mihalik JP, Marshall SW, Linnan LA, Guskiewicz KM. A Preliminary Study of Helmet Fit Characteristics and Knowledge. Ath Tr. & Sports Health Care. 2014;6(5):206-212.

Teaser title:

Assessing Proper Helmet Fit in Boy's Lacrosse: A Checklist

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Teaser text:

To provide maximum protection against head injury, a boy's lacrosse helmet needs to fit properly. Here's a 13-point checklist.