High school students who play lacrosse are increasingly being exposed to the risk of concussions and other injuries during both practice and competition.

According to a new study conducted at the Colorado School of Public Health and the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, high schoolers who play lacrosse experienced 1,406 injuries throughout 2008 to 2012. The overall rate of injury among these players was 20 per 10,000 games and practices.

More than 22 percent of these injuries were concussions.

A concussion is a form of traumatic brain injury that’s caused by a blow to the head that alters the way the brain normally works. Even though these are typically described as “minor” brain injuries, their effects can be serious.

Study author Lara B. McKenzie, PhD, and principal investigator in the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s, said this discovery supports previous discussions about how to prevent injury in sport. She says nearly 25 percent of concussions are a result of person-to-person contact on the girls’ lacrosse field, despite the rule that prohibits such contact.

“Lacrosse is becoming more and more popular across the United States, and it’s a great way for high school students to be active. Still, we see injuries in the sport every day during the season. Our research shows that we need to do more and can do more to prevent those injuries,” said McKenzie in a statement.

The findings of the study are published in The American Journal of Sports Medicine.