Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Abstract – Ripley, NJ, Collier, M, Fahey, JT, and Comfort, P. Protective effect of lower limb strength on lower limb injuries within international sixes lacrosse players: A nine-month prospective study. J Strength Cond Res XX(X): 000–000, 2026—The aim of this study was to prospectively determine whether lower limb strength, assessed through the isometric mid-thigh pull (IMTP), offers a protective effect to future lower limb injury in international men's sixes lacrosse players. Nineteen elite nonprofessional men's sixes lacrosse players from the British Men's Lacrosse team (25.4 ± 4.1 years, 1.8 ± 0.1 m, 88.9 ± 6.8 kg) performed 3 trials of the IMTP at the start of a 9-month competitive period, with injuries and injury mechanisms recorded by the lead physiotherapist. Noncontact injury and overload injuries were ran as dependent variables in 2 separate Bayesian logistic regressions where IMTP relative net peak force was the independent variable, with odds ratio (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) calculated to determine the risk of the injury outcome. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was used to determine a threshold for relative net peak force and future injury risk. Relative net peak force had a protective effect for noncontact injuries (OR = 0.33 [95% CI = 0.28–0.38]) and overload injuries (OR = 0.67 [95% CI = 0.49–0.86]), with a strong–very strong level of evidence, based on the Bayes factor. Receiver operating characteristic curves indicated relative net peak force values of 31.3 and 28.7 N/kg resulted in the highest combined sensitivity and specificity for future noncontact injury and overload injuries. Practitioners should prioritize the development of lower limb strength, aiming for a minimum relative net peak force of 31.3 N/kg to reduce the risk of future lower limb injuries.
Keywords
Bayesian, isometric mid-thigh pull, Olympics, relative strength, strength training
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
ISSN
10648011
Publication Title
Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research
Publisher
National Strength and Conditioning Association
School
School of Medical and Health Sciences
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ripley, N. J., Collier, M., Fahey, J. T., & Comfort, P. (2026). Protective effect of lower limb strength on lower limb injuries within international sixes lacrosse players: A nine-month prospective study. The Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0000000000005476