Are specific players more likely to be involved in high-magnitude head impacts in youth football?

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (1) ◽  
pp. 47-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan A. Gellner ◽  
Eamon T. Campolettano ◽  
Eric P. Smith ◽  
Steven Rowson
Keyword(s):  
Data Driven ◽  
Small Subset ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Head Acceleration ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
High Magnitude ◽  
The Relationship

OBJECTIVEYouth football attracts approximately 3.5 million participants every year, but concern has recently arisen about the long-term effects of experiencing repetitive head accelerations from a young age due to participation in football. The objective of this study was to quantify total involvement in high-magnitude impacts among individual players in youth football practices. The authors explored the relationship between the total number of high-magnitude accelerations in which players were involved (experienced either by themselves or by other players) during practices and the number of high-magnitude accelerations players experienced.METHODSA local cohort of 94 youth football players (mean age 11.9 ± 1.5, mean body mass 50.3 ± 16.4 kg) from 4 different teams were recruited and outfitted with helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays. The teams were followed for one season each for a total of 128 sessions (practices, games, and scrimmages). All players involved in high-magnitude (greater than 40g) head accelerations were subsequently identified through analysis of practice film.RESULTSPlayers who experienced more high-magnitude accelerations were more likely to be involved in impacts associated with high-magnitude accelerations in other players. A small subset of 6 players (6%) were collectively involved in 230 (53%) high-magnitude impacts during practice, were involved in but did not experience a high-magnitude acceleration 78 times (21% of the 370 one-sided high-magnitude impacts), and experienced 152 (30%) of the 502 high-magnitude accelerations measured. Quarterbacks/running backs/linebackers were involved in the greatest number of high-magnitude impacts in practice and experienced the greatest number of high-magnitude accelerations. Which team a player was on was an important factor, as one team showed much greater head impact exposure than all others.CONCLUSIONSThis study showed that targeting the most impact-prone players for individualized interventions could reduce high-magnitude acceleration exposure for entire teams. These data will help to further quantify elevated head acceleration exposure and enable data-driven interventions that modify exposure for individual players and entire teams.

Does tackling form affect head acceleration in youth football players?

2020 ◽  
Vol 234 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan A Gellner ◽  
Eamon T Campolettano ◽  
Steven Rowson
Keyword(s):  
Football Players ◽  
Head Acceleration ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
High Magnitude ◽  
Close Range ◽  
Agreement Coefficient ◽  
Reduce Risk ◽  
Effectiveness Of Training ◽  
Age Range

To reduce head impact exposure, a number of youth football organizations have begun teaching tackling technique. This study sought to develop and utilize a set of tackling form grading criteria for both tacklers and ball carriers as well as to relate tackling form to head acceleration outcome. It was hypothesized that players exhibiting better form would experience lower head accelerations in individual tackles. Three teams consisting of 67 players (20, 29, and 18 players per team; age 12.7 ± 0.95, age range 11–14 years, body mass 55.1 ± 16.2 kg) were instrumented with helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays for one season. Videos of close-range tackling drills were used to develop tackling form criteria. Two raters used these criteria to each score 105 impacts. Six of the seven categories were found to have good inter-rater reliability metrics (total percent agreement ≥ 79%, agreement coefficient ≥ 0.65). Bending at both the hips and knees, leading with the shoulder or arm, and initiating contact were found to reduce risk of high-magnitude (>40 g) head impacts in tacklers. Keeping the eyes up and avoiding dropping the head reduced the risk of high-magnitude head impacts in ball carriers. This study shows the potential effectiveness of training both tacklers and ball carriers in proper technique for collisions in youth football to minimize head impacts.

scholarly journals A Qualitative Study of Youth Football Coaches’ Perception of Concussion Safety in American Youth Football and Their Experiences With Implementing Tackling Interventions

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Kelly Sarmiento ◽  
Dana Waltzman ◽  
Kelley Borradaile ◽  
Andrew Hurwitz ◽  
Kara Conroy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Head Injuries ◽  
Young Age ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Football Coaches ◽  
Youth Athletes ◽  
Risks And Benefits ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
Tackle Football

Due in part to concern about the potential long-term effects of concussion and repetitive head injuries in football, some programs have implemented tackling interventions. This paper explores youth football coaches’ perception of football safety and their experiences implementing these interventions aimed at athlete safety. Using a qualitative approach, coaches were interviewed by means of a semi-structured protocol that covered: (a) demographics; (b) background and experiences with contact sports; (c) perceived concussion risks and benefits of youth football; (d) experiences with tackling technique; (e) experiences with mouth guard sensors; and (f) personal sources of training related to football safety. Most coaches felt that learning tackling at a young age helped prepare them for their playing later in life and believed that youth should begin playing tackle football at a young age. Coaches were mixed regarding their concerns about the risk for concussion and subconcussive head impacts. Still, most were receptive to changes in rules and policies aimed at making football safer. Findings from this study demonstrate that youth football coaches are important stakeholders to consider when implementing changes to youth football. Understanding coach perceptions and experiences may inform future efforts aimed to educate coaches on rules and policies to make the game safer for youth athletes.

Head Impact Exposure in Youth Football: Middle School Ages 12–14 Years

2014 ◽  
Vol 136 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ray W. Daniel ◽  
Steven Rowson ◽  
Stefan M. Duma
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Middle School ◽  
Head Impact ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Head Acceleration ◽  
Limited Data ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Football Helmet ◽  
Injury Criteria ◽  
Youth Football

The head impact exposure experienced by football players at the college and high school levels has been well documented; however, there are limited data regarding youth football despite its dramatically larger population. The objective of this study was to investigate head impact exposure in middle school football. Impacts were monitored using a commercially available accelerometer array installed inside the helmets of 17 players aged 12–14 years. A total of 4678 impacts were measured, with an average (±standard deviation) of 275 ± 190 impacts per player. The average of impact distributions for each player had a median impact of 22 ± 2 g and 954 ± 122 rad/s2, and a 95th percentile impact of 54 ± 9 g and 2525 ± 450 rad/s2. Similar to the head impact exposure experienced by high school and collegiate players, these data show that middle school football players experience a greater number of head impacts during games than practices. There were no significant differences between median and 95th percentile head acceleration magnitudes experienced during games and practices; however, a larger number of impacts greater than 80 g occurred during games than during practices. Impacts to the front and back of the helmet were most common. Overall, these data are similar to high school and college data that have been collected using similar methods. These data have applications toward youth football helmet design, the development of strategies designed to limit head impact exposure, and child-specific brain injury criteria.

scholarly journals High-magnitude head impact exposure in youth football

2017 ◽  
Vol 20 (6) ◽  
pp. 604-612 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eamon T. Campolettano ◽  
Ryan A. Gellner ◽  
Steven Rowson
Keyword(s):  
Open Field ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Head Impact ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Video Recordings ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
High Magnitude ◽  
Or Practice ◽  
The Impact

OBJECTIVEEven in the absence of a clinically diagnosed concussion, research suggests that neurocognitive changes may develop in football players as a result of frequent head impacts that occur during football games and practices. The objectives of this study were to determine the specific situations in which high-magnitude impacts (accelerations exceeding 40g) occur in youth football games and practices and to assess how representative practice activities are of games with regard to high-magnitude head impact exposure.METHODSA total of 45 players (mean age 10.7 ± 1.1 years) on 2 youth teams (Juniors [mean age 9.9 ± 0.6 years; mean body mass 38.9 ± 9.9 kg] and Seniors [mean age 11.9 ± 0.6 years; mean body mass 51.4 ± 11.8 kg]) wore helmets instrumented with accelerometer arrays to record head impact accelerations for all practices and games. Video recordings from practices and games were used to verify all high-magnitude head impacts, identify specific impact characteristics, and determine the amount of time spent in each activity.RESULTSA total of 7590 impacts were recorded, of which 571 resulted in high-magnitude head impact accelerations exceeding 40g (8%). Impacts were characterized based on the position played by the team member who received the impact, the part of the field where the impact occurred, whether the impact occurred during a game or practice play, and the cause of the impact. High-magnitude impacts occurred most frequently in the open field in both games (59.4%) and practices (67.5%). “Back” position players experienced a greater proportion of high-magnitude head impacts than players at other positions. The 2 teams in this study structured their practice sessions similarly with respect to time spent in each drill, but impact rates differed for each drill between the teams.CONCLUSIONSHigh-magnitude head impact exposure in games and practice drills was quantified and used as the basis for comparison of exposure in the 2 settings. In this cohort, game impact rates exceeded those for practice. Back players, who were often positioned in the open field, were shown to experience elevated levels of head impact exposure relative to players at other positions. The analysis also suggests that practice intensity, which may be influenced by coaching style, may also affect high-magnitude head impact exposure. Future studies should investigate this aspect as a factor affecting head impact exposure.

scholarly journals Drill-specific head impact exposure in youth football practice

2016 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 536-541 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eamon T. Campolettano ◽  
Steven Rowson ◽  
Stefan M. Duma
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
The United States ◽  
High Impact ◽  
Head Impact ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
Impact Rate ◽  
High Magnitude ◽  
Specific Activities

OBJECTIVE Although 70% of football players in the United States are youth players (6–14 years old), most research on head impacts in football has focused on high school, collegiate, or professional populations. The objective of this study was to identify the specific activities associated with high-magnitude (acceleration > 40g) head impacts in youth football practices. METHODS A total of 34 players (mean age 9.9 ± 0.6 years) on 2 youth teams were equipped with helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays that recorded head accelerations associated with impacts in practices and games. Videos of practices and games were used to verify all head impacts and identify specific drills associated with each head impact. RESULTS A total of 6813 impacts were recorded, of which 408 had accelerations exceeding 40g (6.0%). For each type of practice drill, impact rates were computed that accounted for the length of time that teams spent on each drill. The tackling drill King of the Circle had the highest impact rate (95% CI 25.6–68.3 impacts/hr). Impact rates for tackling drills (those conducted without a blocker [95% CI 14.7–21.9 impacts/hr] and those with a blocker [95% CI 10.5–23.1 impacts/hr]) did not differ from game impact rates (95% CI 14.2–21.6 impacts/hr). Tackling drills were observed to have a greater proportion (between 40% and 50%) of impacts exceeding 60g than games (25%). The teams in this study participated in tackling or blocking drills for only 22% of their overall practice times, but these drills were responsible for 86% of all practice impacts exceeding 40g. CONCLUSIONS In youth football, high-magnitude impacts occur more often in practices than games, and some practice drills are associated with higher impact rates and accelerations than others. To mitigate high-magnitude head impact exposure in youth football, practices should be modified to decrease the time spent in drills with high impact rates, potentially eliminating a drill such as King of the Circle altogether.

scholarly journals Relating on-field youth football head impacts to pneumatic ram laboratory testing procedures

2020 ◽  
pp. 175433712094906
Author(s):  
Eamon T Campolettano ◽  
Steven Rowson
Keyword(s):  
Severity Index ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Head Acceleration ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Testing Procedures ◽  
Youth Athletes ◽  
Football Helmet ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
Impact Data ◽  
Athletic Equipment

A youth-specific football helmet testing standard has been proposed to address the physical and biomechanical differences between adult and youth football players. This study sought to relate the proposed youth standard-defined laboratory impacts to on-field head impacts collected from youth football players. Head impact data from 112 youth football players (ages 9–14) were collected through the use of helmet-mounted accelerometer arrays. These head impacts were filtered to only include those that resided in corridors near prescribed National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE) impact locations. Peak linear head acceleration and peak rotational head acceleration magnitudes collected from pneumatic ram impactor tests as specified by the proposed NOCSAE youth standard were compared to the distribution of on-field head impacts. All laboratory impact tests were among the top 10% in terms of magnitude for Severity Index and peak rotational acceleration of matched location head impacts experienced by youth football players. As concussive head impacts are among the most severe impacts experienced on the field, a safety standard geared toward mitigating concussion should assess the most severe on-field head impacts. This proposed testing standard may be refined as more becomes known regarding the biomechanics of concussion among youth athletes.

scholarly journals COMPARISON OF HEAD IMPACT BIOMECHANICS BETWEEN TACKLE AND FLAG YOUTH FOOTBALL

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (3_suppl) ◽  
pp. 2325967119S0000
Author(s):  
Landon B. Lempke ◽  
A. Faith Bartello ◽  
Melissa N. Anderson ◽  
Rachel S. Johnson ◽  
Julianne D. Schmidt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Linear Acceleration ◽  
Head Impact ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Rotational Acceleration ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Head Impact Biomechanics ◽  
Impact Rate ◽  
High Magnitude ◽  
Impact Biomechanics

Background: There is growing fear among healthcare professionals and parents regarding youth tackle football, likely due to highly publicized concerns about potential long-term physical and cognitive health of professional football players. Parents and advocacy groups are pushing for state legislation to ban youth tackle football in favor of flag football to avoid repetitive head impacts that are potentially associated with late-life cognitive deficits. Although the head impact burden experienced during flag football is likely lower than tackle, no research has compared head impact exposure between youth tackle and flag football. Therefore, our purpose was to examine head impact exposure and magnitudes between youth tackle and flag football players. Methods: Twenty-seven tackle (age=11.0±1.5y, height=145.8±11.9 cm, mass=45.0±14.9 kg) and 29 flag football players (age=8.6±1.1y, height=133.9±8.4 cm, mass=33.9±9.5 kg) were enrolled in this prospective cohort study. Participants were fitted with head impact sensors (Triax Sim-G) worn throughout the entire 2017 season that recorded impact frequency and magnitude (linear [g] and rotational acceleration [rad/s2]). Athlete exposure was defined as one player participating in one session. Impact rates (IR) were calculated as impacts per one athlete exposure. Game, practice, and combined IR were compared between groups using impact rate ratios (IRR). IRR with 95% confidence intervals (CI) not containing 1.0 were considered statistically significant. Acceleration values were binned into low- and high-magnitude categories (linear split at 40 g, rotational split at 4,600rad/s2). Magnitude category frequencies were compared between groups using Chi-square test of association (p<0.05), and 90th percentile acceleration values are presented. Results: One-thousand nine-hundred and eight tackle (735 game, 1173 practice; 70.66 impacts/player) and 169 flag (101 game, 68 practice; 5.83 impacts/player) football head impacts were recorded. Tackle players experienced a higher impact rate during games versus practices (IRR=1.41; 95%CI:1.29 -1.55) while flag players experienced a lower impact rate (IRR=0.60; 95%CI:0.44-0.81). Practice and game head impacts combined resulted in tackle players (IR=3.06) accruing 4.61 times the impact rate (95%CI:3.94-5.40) of flag players (IR=0.66). Tackle players sustained a significantly greater head impact rate than flag players during games (tackle IR=3.83, flag IR=0.55; IRR=6.90; 95%CI:5.60-8.49) and practices (tackle IR=2.72, flag IR=0.93; IRR=2.91; 95%CI:2.28-3.72). Tackle 90th percentile linear acceleration was 53.32 g (median=32.50 g) and flag was 53.32 g (median=32.65 g). Tackle 90th percentile rotational acceleration was 7,000 rad/s2 (median=3,200rad/s2) while flag was 8,300 rad/s2 (median=4,100rad/s2). Tackle experienced a significantly higher frequency of low-magnitude rotational acceleration impacts (71.6% vs. 57.4%) and lower frequency of high-magnitude impacts than flag (28.4% vs 42.6%;?2=15.15, p<0.001). There were no significant associations for linear acceleration (p=0.75). Conclusions/Significance: Our results indicate youth flag football head impact rates are 82%-88% lower compared to tackle. Contrary to general belief, youth flag football players experienced numerous head impacts with a greater tendency for high-magnitude rotational acceleration head impacts. Although fewer head impacts occur during youth flag football, parents and coaches should be aware that head impacts do occur during practices and games. Whether high-magnitude or high-frequency head impacts influence long-term health remains unknown. Our findings provide novel evidence into the head impact exposure occurring during youth tackle and flag football. Longitudinal studies examining head impact biomechanics and advanced neuroimaging in youth tackle and flag football players nationwide is warranted to ensure long term cognitive health.

An Instrumented Mouthguard to Measure Head Accelerations Due To Impact

2013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Grant Birmingham ◽  
Lilan Smith ◽  
Jennifer M. Brock ◽  
John Lund ◽  
Anthony J. Paris
Keyword(s):  
Head Injury ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Head Acceleration ◽  
Neurocognitive Deficits ◽  
Long Term Effects ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Quantitative Measurements

In the long term, quantitative measurements indicating the magnitude and nature of head impacts will be essential to understanding the biomechanics of head injury. Tools are needed that can quantitatively measure the levels of head acceleration experienced by athletes in a variety of situations in order to assess these risks. The current research is aimed at developing instrumentation that is comfortable enough to use in the field and which can measure head accelerations from blows to the head repeatably and accurately. Soccer is a unique sport in that the unprotected head is deliberately used to direct the motion of the ball during play, which makes it practical to study in a controlled laboratory setting. While the possible long-term effects of heading are still subject to debate [1,2], there is evidence which suggests that it is responsible for transient neurocognitive deficits [3] and transient concussion symptoms [4].

scholarly journals Examining Play Counts and Measurements of Injury Incidence in Youth Football

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (10) ◽  
pp. 955-965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zachary Y. Kerr ◽  
Susan W. Yeargin ◽  
Aristarque Djoko ◽  
Sara L. Dalton ◽  
Melissa M. Baker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Outcome Measure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Injury Rate ◽  
Football Players ◽  
Injury Incidence ◽  
Injury Rates ◽  
Head Impacts ◽  
Youth Football ◽  
Rate Ratios ◽  
Age Range

Context: Whereas researchers have provided estimates for the number of head impacts sustained within a youth football season, less is known about the number of plays across which such impact exposure occurs.Objective: To estimate the number of plays in which youth football players participated during the 2013 season and to estimate injury incidence through play-based injury rates.Design: Descriptive epidemiology study.Setting: Youth football.Patients or Other Participants: Youth football players (N = 2098; age range, 5−15 years) from 105 teams in 12 recreational leagues across 6 states.Main Outcome Measure(s): We calculated the average number of athlete-plays per season and per game using independent-samples t tests to compare age groups (5–10 years old versus 11–15 years old) and squad sizes (&lt;20 versus ≥20 players); game injury rates per 1000 athlete-exposures (AEs) and per 10 000 athlete-plays; and injury rate ratios (IRRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) to compare age groups.Results: On average, youth football players participated in 333.9 ± 178.5 plays per season and 43.9 ± 24.0 plays per game. Age groups (5- to 10-year-olds versus 11- to 15-year-olds) did not differ in the average number of plays per season (335.8 versus 332.3, respectively; t2086.4 = 0.45, P = .65) or per game (44.1 versus 43.7, respectively; t2092.3 = 0.38, P = .71). However, players from smaller teams participated in more plays per season (373.7 versus 308.0; t1611.4 = 8.15, P &lt; .001) and per game (47.7 versus 41.4; t1523.5 = 5.67, P &lt; .001). Older players had a greater game injury rate than younger players when injury rates were calculated per 1000 AEs (23.03 versus 17.86/1000 AEs; IRR = 1.29; 95% CI = 1.04, 1.60) or per 10 000 athlete-plays (5.30 versus 4.18/10 000 athlete-plays; IRR = 1.27; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.57).Conclusions: A larger squad size was associated with a lower average number of plays per season and per game. Increasing youth football squad sizes may help reduce head-impact exposure for individual players. The AE-based injury rates yielded effect estimates similar to those of play-based injury rates.

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