Football Helmets
Repeated studies have shown that headgear being able to protect players from concussions in contact sport is a myth - Donna Lu
image by: Wikimedia
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Why a Hot Idea for Making Football Safer Is Such a Hard Sell for the NFL
The scientists are understandably frustrated: Despite their continually updating the evidence demonstrating that the modern plastic safety helmet cannot prevent devastating head injuries in tackle football, the games go on. Just this month in a piece published at Ars Technica, James M. Smoliga, a professor in the department of rehabilitation sciences at Tufts University, pointed out all the flaws in the NFL’s reporting surrounding concussion prevention. Smoliga’s piece includes a section on the use of soft-shell “Guardian Caps” in preseason practices, which is now mandated league-wide. These lumpy accessories, which accentuate the size of the helmet and make the players look a bit like the…
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Football Helmet Misconceptions: Q&A
Helmets are standard-issue when it comes to football. Most people may think that helmets are intended to prevent concussions. But this is not actually the case, and is one of many football helmet misconceptions. While helmets can defend against skull fractures and serious brain injuries, they can’t stop the movement of the brain inside the skull that causes concussion.
Football helmets don’t prevent concussions. What can?
It's not exactly a secret that they make head injuries worse.
Leatherhead to Radio-Head: The Evolution of the Football Helmet
From hand-cobbled beginnings, the football helmet has shifted to become one of the most highly designed pieces of equipment in all of sports.
Radical football helmet design may prevent concussions: Stanford study
That’s the hope of Stanford University scientists developing a prototype that should reduce the impact of hits to the head by one-third or more. Their secret? A carbon-fiber football helmet with 21 liquid shock absorbers spread throughout.
This Helmet Will Save Football. Actually, Probably Not.
At Stanford, David Camarillo chases the dream of a helmet that can prevent brain disease related to playing football. It’s filled with water. Really. Brain experts say he’s wasting his time.
Articles of Interest
A Majority of Youth Football Helmets Do Not Fit Properly, A Risk Factor for More Severe and Lengthy Concussions
New research found that the majority (74%) of football players’ helmets in youth football (7-12 years old) did not meet at least one component of the 13 criteria developed for proper football helmet fit. Improper fit is a critical risk factor for increased concussion symptoms and duration.
Are Modern Football Helmets Any Safer than Old-School Leather Ones?
Recent testing shows that, contrary to prior findings, new plastic helmets reduce the risk of concussions by 45 to 96 percent.
Can a Better Football Helmet Save Your Kid’s Brain?
Three years ago, researchers at Virginia Tech developed a novel rating system for football helmets. Since then, NCAA squads, NFL teams, and parents across the country have demanded the top-rated equipment. Helmet makers followed suit, changing designs to meet the new standards. There’s only one problem: the scientists who say the safety data is fatally flawed.
Concussion: doctor who fought NFL says 'no equipment can prevent' such injuries
With the release of a film telling his story, Bennet Omalu describes the process of discovery that led to clashes with the league – and how his own encounters with depression helped enhance his understanding.
Football Helmets Over the Years and More
The evolution football helmets.
Headgear Reduces Concussions in High School Girls’ Lacrosse, Study Shows
In 2015, without empirical evidence or data that supported the decision, Florida became the only state to require high school girls’ lacrosse teams to wear protective headgear. Boys’ lacrosse teams nationwide have worn hard-shell helmets for decades but girls, who play by rules that generally forbid contact, have mostly spurned headgear.
Helmet Safety and Little League Football
A new study reveals that youth football helmets aren't as safe as we thought. Would you still let your child play the sport?
Helmets don't eliminate concussions. It's time for the NFL to ditch them
The league’s brain trauma epidemic needs radical solutions. If recent changes aren’t protecting players then we need to rethink the game’s fundamentals.
How a Football Helmet Industry Titan Sells the False Promise of Safety
Riddell dominates the football helmet industry and it seems to be doing so with slick advertising reliant on spotty science.
How football helmets fail to protect against some of the most dangerous hits in the game
There's no such thing as a concussion-proof football helmet — most experts agree on that. But today’s helmets aren’t doing as much as they could to help football’s concussion epidemic. Right now, the standard helmet is mostly designed to prevent skull fractures and cushion players against direct, linear hits. They do almost nothing for the hits that twist players’ heads violently. In fact, the helmet may partly make those kind of hits worse.
How to prevent concussions in football? Better helmets
University of Cincinnati engineers put popular football helmets made by leading brands through impact testing and found that no single design demonstrated superior reduction of potential concussion incidence or consistent energy absorption at every part of the helmet.
Modern Football Helmets Don't Do Very Much to Reduce Brain Injuries
According to a new report, most football helmets only reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury by a measly 20 percent, compared with not wearing one at all, leading one author to conclude that all of the helmets tested "were terrible."
NFL safety: How VICIS’ position-specific helmets have become all the rage
The company’s helmets are used from the youth football ranks all the way up to the pros. Notable NFL players including Patrick Mahomes, Russell Wilson, Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, Tua Tagovailoa, Kenny Pickett, George Kittle, Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa and Maxx Crosby wear their helmets. Going into the 2023 season, all 32 NFL teams have ordered VICIS helmets.
Outfitting Football Helmets With Magnets Could Reduce Concussions
Strong magnets can repel at least 300 lbs of force, preventing heads from colliding.
The Extra Yard: The Ins and Outs of an American Football Helmet
Recent years have shed more light on player health and safety in this exciting—but wildly full-contact—sport. Join us as we interview Dr. Andrew Mathers on scanning and segmenting parts of an American football helmet!
The First Plastic Football Helmet Often Broke on Impact
Early headgear was meant to prevent death. Today's versions attempt to prevent concussions, but protecting players who take repeated hits is hard.
The Limits of Football Helmets
No amount of head protection can fully protect players from concussions.
The NFL's Helmet Tests Are Brainless
Opinion: Current testing on helmets ignores the kinds of impacts that cause most of the concussions. It’s time for football to wise up.
The Safest Football Helmet Is Not Yet a Hit in the NFL
Startup’s new helmet gets top safety rating but has yet to take hold among players, even amid heightened attention to links between football and head trauma
The Science of Helmets
Helmets are a necessary accessory for many recreational activities and sports, but it’s no secret that people don’t like to wear them. Whether it’s to look cool, for comfort or just not seeing the point, young children, teenagers and adults alike often don’t want to wear helmets.
There’s No Such Thing as a Concussion-Proof Helmet
Essentially, if you put 15 inches of foam on the outside of the helmet, you can make a concussion free helmet. But that’s completely impractical.
This Conch-Shell Inspired Material Could Make Helmets and Body Armor Safer
Scientists from MIT are using structures that evolved over millions of years to strengthen protective gear.
Why NFL Helmets Will Never Be Concussion-Proof
Experts agree, even if a concussion-proof helmet were possible, such a solution would bring new injuries of its own–to the sport and its players.
‘Safe’ Helmets Can’t Fix Football’s Concussion Problem
Experts say the technology won't work unless players change their behavior.
