Lacrosse was named for the stick its players wield. As the saying goes, sticks and stones can break bones. Lacrosse players experience myriad other injuries as well. Physical therapists help prevent injuries and rehabilitate injured players.

Lacrosse is a comparatively old sport—certainly older than baseball, basketball, football, or rugby. Historians believe it was played as early as the year 1100 among indigenous peoples in North America.

More recently, lacrosse has become one of the fastest-growing team sports in the United States, with an annual growth rate of nearly 10% during the past decade. In 2013, nearly 750,000 lacrosse players participated on organized teams. More than a third of the players—37%—were female.¹