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Comparison of Kinematics for Head Impacts Initiated by Helmets and Shoulder Pads Among High School American Football Athletes

  • S.I. : Concussions II
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Abstract

Helmets and shoulder pads are required equipment intended to protect American football athletes by attenuating collision forces during participation. Surprisingly, research differentiating kinematics from head impacts initiated by helmets from those initiated by shoulder pads among adolescent athletes has not been completed. The current study’s purpose was to determine the effects of equipment on head impact kinematics. Sixty-nine male American football athletes from three high schools wore helmets equipped with Head Impact Telemetry (HIT) System instrumentation to quantify peak linear (g) and rotational (rad/s2) accelerations. Data were extracted for video-confirmed impacts during two competitions. Separate multivariable linear regressions using ordinary least squares were conducted to determine if equipment type (helmet vs. shoulder pad) was associated with log-transformed linear and rotational accelerations. In total, 1150 video-confirmed impacts involved helmet (N = 960) or shoulder pad (N = 190) initiated contact. Linear (p = 0.809) and rotational (p = 0.351) acceleration were not associated with equipment type. Head impact kinematics were similar between impacts initiated by either helmets or shoulder pads and suggests an opponent’s shoulder pads and helmet can deliver comparable forces to the struck player. Equipment manufacturers may need to consider the unintended role shoulder pads may contribute to head injury risk.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Kody Campbell and Joshua Boone for their contributions to data collection.

Citation diversity statement

Recent work in several fields of science has identified a bias in citation practices such that papers from women and other minority scholars are under cited relative to the number of papers in the field. [28,29,30,31,32] We recognize this bias and have worked diligently to ensure that we are referencing appropriate papers with fair gender and racial author inclusion.

Funding

The work described in this manuscript was supported by a grant awarded by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE®) to the Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention under Grant RFP 01-2021. The raw video data analyzed in this study were originally collected in a project funded by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) through the Injury Prevention Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2R49CE002479). The authors disclose receipt of grants and research support awarded to their institution from the Department of Defense, the National Collegiate Athletic Association, and the National Football League unrelated to the current project.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Matthew Gfeller Center, Department of Exercise and Sport Science, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2207 Stallings-Evans Sports Medicine Center, Campus Box 8700, Chapel Hill, NC, 27599-8700, USA

    Aaron M. Sinnott, Hari Pinapaka & Jason P. Mihalik

  2. Datalys Center for Sports Injury Research and Prevention, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Christy L. Collins, Adrian J. Boltz & Hannah J. Robison

Authors
  1. Aaron M. Sinnott
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  6. Jason P. Mihalik
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Correspondence to Jason P. Mihalik.

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Conflicts of interest

Dr. Jason Mihalik is a co-founder and Chief Science Officer for Senaptec, Inc., but neither data nor instrumentation from this entity are included in the current manuscript. The remaining authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

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Associate Editor Steven Rowson oversaw the review of this article.

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Sinnott, A.M., Collins, C.L., Boltz, A.J. et al. Comparison of Kinematics for Head Impacts Initiated by Helmets and Shoulder Pads Among High School American Football Athletes. Ann Biomed Eng (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03485-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-024-03485-1

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