Comparison of Laboratory and On-Field Performance of American Football Helmets.

Comparison of Laboratory and On-Field Performance of American Football Helmets. Ann Biomed Eng. 2020 Oct 06;: Authors: Bailey AM, McMurry TL, Cormier JM, Funk JR, Crandall JR, Mack CD, Myers BS, Arbogast KB 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-...
Source: Annals of Biomedical Engineering - Category: Biomedical Engineering Authors: Tags: Ann Biomed Eng Source Type: research