Wearing a Guardian Cap Does Not Mitigate On-Field Head Impact Severity

Area of Science:

• Sports Medicine
• Biomechanics
• Injury Prevention

Background:

• Guardian Cap use is increasing in football at all levels.
• Limited on-field data exist on Guardian Cap effectiveness, with prior studies analyzing fewer than 1,000 impacts.
• Understanding the biomechanical effects of the Guardian Cap is crucial for player safety.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare on-field head impact biomechanics between college football players wearing a Guardian Cap and those not wearing one.
• To analyze differences in impact magnitude, location, and frequency during a full season of practices and games.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-four college football players participated over one season.
• Instrumented mouthguards recorded head impact kinematics for 7,509 impacts.
• Statistical models analyzed impact magnitude, frequency, and location differences between Guardian Cap wearers and non-wearers.

Main Results:

• Guardian Cap use showed no significant effect on head impact magnitude or frequency.
• A 36.2% decrease in facemask impacts was observed for Guardian Cap wearers.
• A 151.6% increase in rear impacts was observed for Guardian Cap wearers compared to non-wearers.

Conclusions:

• The Guardian Cap does not significantly affect the magnitude or frequency of on-field head impacts.
• Guardian Cap usage alters impact location patterns, potentially influencing player collision technique.
• Further research is needed to explore the impact of these findings on injury epidemiology and clinical management.