Comparison of Laboratory and On-Field Performance of American Football Helmets
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Annals of Biomedical Engineering (Ó 2020) https://doi.org/10.1007/s10439-020-02627-5
Concussion Biomechanics in Football
Comparison of Laboratory and On-Field Performance of American Football Helmets ANN M. BAILEY ,1 TIMOTHY L. MCMURRY,2 JOSEPH M. CORMIER,1 JAMES R. FUNK,1 JEFF R. CRANDALL,1 CHRISTINA D. MACK,3 BARRY S. MYERS,4 and KRISTY B. ARBOGAST5 1
Biomechanics Consulting and Research, LLC, Charlottesville, VA, USA; 2Department of Public Health Sciences, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA; 3IQVIA, Durham, NC, USA; 4Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; and 5Center for Injury Research and Prevention, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA (Received 25 August 2020; accepted 17 September 2020) Associate Editor Stefan M. Duma oversaw the review of this article.
Abstract—The relationship between laboratory and on-field performance of football helmets was assessed for 31 football helmet models selected from those worn by players in the 2015–2019 National Football League (NFL) seasons. Linear impactor tests were conducted with helmets placed on an instrumented Hybrid III head and neck assembly mounted on a sliding table. Based on impacts to each helmet at six impact locations and three velocities, a helmet performance score (HPS) was calculated using a linear combination of the head injury criterion (HIC) and the diffuse axonal multi-axis general evaluation (DAMAGE). To determine the on-field performance of helmets, helmet model usage, player participation, and incident concussion data were collected from the five NFL seasons and used to calculate helmet model-specific concussion rates. Comparison of laboratory HPS to the helmet model-specific concussion rates on a per play basis showed a positive correlation (r2 = 0.61, p < 0.001) between laboratory and on-field performance of helmet models, indicating that helmets which exhibited reduced impact severity in the laboratory tests were also generally associated with lower concussion rates on-field. Further analysis showed that NFL-prohibited helmet models exhibited a significantly higher odds of concussion (OR 1.24; 95% CI 1.04–1.47; p = 0.017) relative to other helmet models. Keywords—Biomechanics, Concussion, American football, Head injury, Helmet.
Address correspondence to Ann M. Bailey, Biomechanics Consulting and Research, LLC, Charlottesville, VA, USA. Electronic mail: [email protected]
INTRODUCTION Concussions remain a concern for athletes participating in contact sports, bringing the role and effectiveness of sports safety equipment into focus.5,15,40,43 Laboratory testing to compare and quantify the protective capabilities of football helmet models is frequently used as a surrogate for a helmet model’s onfield effectiveness.37,39,49 In order to predict the associated on-field performance of a helmet model, laboratory tests should mimic the on-field environment and evaluate the helmet’s ability to reduce severity metrics relevant to the injury mechanisms involved. Recently, test methodologies have be
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