Analysis of head impacts during sub-elite hurling practice sessions

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Head and neck injuries are a concern in hurling, with a reported incidence of 0.12 per 1000 hours.
• Previous research has not quantified head impact characteristics specific to hurling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify head impact characteristics in senior club level hurling players.
• To assess the feasibility of using wireless accelerometers and gyroscopes for head impact measurement in hurling.
• To differentiate head impact data based on training session intensity.

Main Methods:

• Utilized wireless accelerometer and gyroscope sensors to capture head impacts in 20 senior club level hurling players.
• Recorded peak linear and rotational acceleration and impact location during three training sessions per player.
• Collected data over 247 minutes of total exposure time, recording 1314 impacts.

Main Results:

• A mean of 27.9 impacts (linear acceleration >10g) per player per session were recorded.
• Only 2.6% of impacts exceeded 70g peak linear acceleration, and 6.2% exceeded 7900 rad/s² peak rotational acceleration.
• Significant differences in impact number and magnitude were observed between training sessions of varying intensity (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

• This study is the first to quantify head impacts in hurling, demonstrating the feasibility of sensor technology.
• The technology successfully discriminated between training sessions of different intensities.
• Data can inform athlete monitoring, helmet testing standards, and provide clinical feedback for medical personnel.