Ill-Fitting Football Helmets May Promote Worse Concussion

HealthDay News — Football players who wear loose fitting helmets experience worse concussions than those whose helmets are properly fitted, according to research presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, held from March 1 to 5 in Orlando, Fla.

Barry Boden, MD, a sports medicine specialist at The Orthopaedic Center in Rockville, Md., and colleagues reviewed national high school sports-related injury data collected over 9 years. The data included information on 4580 first-time concussions.

Football players with improperly fitting helmets who suffered concussions had much higher rates of drowsiness, hyperexcitability, and noise sensitivity than those with helmets that fit correctly. In addition, players with concussions who were wearing helmets lined with an air bladder had higher rates of light and noise sensitivity. They also had concussions of longer duration, compared to players with foam- or gel-lined helmets.

“Concussions are very complicated injuries, but [loose helmets] could be one more risk factor for experiencing more severe concussions,” Dr Boden told HealthDay.

Reference

Greenhill DA, Navo PD, Comstock D, Torg JS, Zhao H, Boden BP. Abstract 845. Inadequate Helmet Fit Increases Concussion Severity in American High School Football Players. Presented at: American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons Annual Meeting. March 1-5, 2016; Orlando. Fla.