Football helmet impact standards in relation to on-field impacts

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Orthopedics

Background:

• Youth football helmets are tested using the same standards as adult helmets, despite differences in player size, physiology, and impact exposure.
• Existing standards have successfully reduced skull fractures and severe brain injuries in football players.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare on-field head impact data with laboratory helmet testing standards for youth and adult football players.
• To evaluate the adequacy of current football helmet testing standards for different age groups.

Main Methods:

• Collected head impact data from 48 collegiate and 25 youth football players using helmet-mounted accelerometers.
• Compared on-field impact data to National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) standard drop tests using youth and varsity Riddell Speed helmets.
• Analyzed impact frequency and head acceleration magnitudes at various locations and drop heights.

Main Results:

• Adult players had a higher frequency of impacts than youth players.
• Significant differences in head acceleration were found only at the top impact location (p < 0.001) in on-field data.
• Laboratory drop tests generated head accelerations representative of the most severe on-field impacts for both age groups.

Conclusions:

• Current football helmet testing standards appear adequate for preventing severe injuries in both youth and adult players.
• A youth-specific helmet drop test standard is not currently necessary.
• A need for youth-specific standards may arise if testing evolves to address concussions and considers age-related differences in concussion tolerance.