Position-Specific Circumstances of Concussions in the NFL: Toward the Development of Position-Specific Helmets
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Annals of Biomedical Engineering (Ó 2020) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02657-z
Concussion Biomechanics in Football
Position-Specific Circumstances of Concussions in the NFL: Toward the Development of Position-Specific Helmets DAVID J. LESSLEY ,1 RICHARD W. KENT,1,4 JOSEPH M. CORMIER,1 CHRISTOPHER P. SHERWOOD,1 JAMES R. FUNK,1 JEFF R. CRANDALL,1 BARRY S. MYERS,2 and KRISTY B. ARBOGAST3 1 Biomechanics Consulting and Research (Biocore), LLC, 1621 Quail Run, Charlottesville, VA 22911, USA; 2Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Box 90083, 267 Hudson Hall Annex, Durham, NC 27708, USA; 3Center for Injury Research and Prevention, The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Roberts Pediatric Research Building, 2716 South Street, Room 13471, Philadelphia, PA 19146, USA; and 4Center for Applied Biomechanics, University of Virginia, 4040 Lewis and Clark Drive, Charlottesville, VA 22911, USA
(Received 28 August 2020; accepted 8 October 2020) Associate Editor Stefan M. Duma oversaw the review of this article.
Abstract—Consideration of position-specific features of the NFL concussion environment could enable improved risk mitigation through the design of position-specific helmets to improve self-protection as well as protection for the other player with whom the contact occurs. The purpose of this paper is to quantify position-specific features of scenarios resulting in concussions to NFL players, and the players they contact, by reviewing all game footage (broadcast and nonbroadcast) over 4 seasons. Position-specific features were documented for 647 concussions in which a primary exposure could be visualized, including impact source, helmet impact location, activity, and the other player with whom the contact occurred. Findings include the over-representation of helmet-to-ground impacts to the rear of the quarterback’s helmet, the high frequency of impacts to the side (upper) location of both concussed players and the players they contacted regardless of position, and distinct differences in the circumstances of concussions to cornerbacks and safeties. The study shows that some features of concussion scenarios are common to all positions, but several position-specific features exist and can inform the design of position-specific helmets for NFL players.
INTRODUCTION Each of the 22 on-field players in an American football game performs a set of tasks that reflects the unique responsibilities of the player’s position. Thus, players experience different impact environments and different injury risk and causation profiles depending on the positions they play (e.g., References7,8,16). The National Football League (NFL) has embarked on a multi-year effort to improve the understanding of the biomechanics of head injuries in professional football and to enable the development of improved protective equipment.17 The development of position-specific helmets, optimized to mitigate concussion risk in each position’s environment, represents an opportunity to further mitigate concussion risk. Such designs would consider 1.
Keywords—Head injury
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