A significant portion, nearly one-third, of concussions in professional American football stems from impacts to the facemask, which is a largely unchanged section of the helmet over the past decade. New research presented today at the International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury conference indicates that these facemasks are frequently involved in severe impacts to players’ helmets. The study highlights the potential benefits of enhancing facemask design to better protect athletes and lower their risk of injury.
Efforts to curb the number of concussions in professional American football have ramped up in recent years, with one key approach being engineering advancements aimed at helmet redesigns for improved player safety. By incorporating new equipment alongside enhanced gameplay techniques, rule changes, and more thorough education, there has been a 23% decrease in concussions from the 2015-2017 seasons to the 2018-2019 season. Despite these improvements, concussions persist, and nearly all are associated with direct helmet contact. Additionally, there’s a secondary objective to mitigate severe head impacts in general, irrespective of whether they lead to injury, to lower overall head impact exposure.
The researchers collected data from instrumented mouthpieces used by selected NFL teams to objectively evaluate the dynamics of head impacts players experience during games. This data, combined with player tracking statistics and comprehensive video analysis for context, enabled the creation of a unique dataset summarizing these impact scenarios.
Dr. Kristy Arbogast, scientific director at the Center for Injury Research and Prevention and co-director of the Minds Matter Concussion Program at CHOP, and first author of the study, stated, “Our field has rapidly improved research tools and methodologies, allowing us to generate valuable data that can enhance equipment, adjust game rules, and refine player techniques, leading to a reduction in concussions among professional athletes.” The findings suggest that future innovations should prioritize facemask redesign to enhance player safety across all levels of football.
Data were gathered during the 2019-2022 NFL seasons, where 98 players wore instrumented mouthpieces measuring six degrees of freedom head motion, encompassing three translational and three rotational accelerations. A total of 5,104 head acceleration events were recorded, with researchers specifically examining the most severe instances (those above the 90th percentile).
The study revealed that impacts to the facemask accounted for 59% of the most severe impacts, with variations observed between different player positions. Linemen experienced the highest rate of facemask impacts at 66%, followed by hybrid players at 56% and speed players at 46%. Notably, the angular motion associated with facemask impacts in linemen is particularly concerning as it may contribute to brain injuries. It was found that most facemask impacts resulted from contact with the helmet shell of opposing players, while speed players had a lesser proportion of such impacts due to more contact with opponents’ shoulders.
Dr. Allen Sills, the NFL’s Chief Medical Officer, remarked, “The advanced data collection from technologies like instrumented mouthpieces is enhancing our understanding of the impacts players face on the field. This knowledge will guide us in developing effective interventions to lower both the frequency and severity of head impacts, thereby protecting player health.”
Dr. Thom Mayer, Medical Director of the NFL Players Association, noted, “This study emphasizes the crucial role of data and ongoing research in our efforts to evaluate and innovate, identifying new strategies that could make the game safer not only for professional players but ultimately at all levels of play.”
This research was made possible through joint contributions to study funding by Football Research, Inc., the NFL, and the NFL Players Association (NFLPA).
Arbogast et al, “Kinematics of Facemask Impacts in Professional American Football.” International Research Council on Biomechanics of Injury. September 2024. Stockholm, Sweden.
