Citation

Broglio SP, Eckner JT, Martini DN, Sosnoff JJ, Kutcher JS, Randolph C. J. Neurotrauma 2011; 28(10): 2069-2078.

Affiliation

University of Michigan, Kinesiology, 1402 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48109; broglio@umich.edu.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2011, Mary Ann Liebert Publishers)

DOI

10.1089/neu.2011.1825

PMID

21787201

Abstract

Impacts to the head are common in collision sports such as football. Emerging research has begun to elucidate concussion tolerance levels, but sub-concussive impacts that do not result in clinical signs or symptoms of concussion are much more common and are speculated to lead to alterations in cerebral structure and function later in life. We investigated the cumulative number of head impacts and their associated acceleration burden in 95 high school football players across four seasons of play using the Head Impact Telemetry System. The four year investigation resulted in 101,994 impacts collected across 190 practice sessions and 50 games. The number of impacts per 14 week season varied by playing position and starting status, with the average player sustaining 652 impacts. Linemen sustained the highest number of impacts per season (868); followed by Tight Ends, Running Backs, and Line Backers (619); Quarterbacks (467); and Receivers, Corner Backs, and Safeties (372). Post-impact accelerations of the head also varied by playing position and starting status with a seasonal linear acceleration burden of 16,746.1g, while the rotational acceleration and Head Impact severity profile burdens were 1,090,697.7 rad/s2 and 10,021, respectfully. The adolescent athletes in this study clearly sustained a large number of impacts to the head with an impressive associated acceleration burden as a direct result of football participation. These findings cause conjecture on the relationship between sub-concussive head impacts incurred during football and late-life cerebral pathosis and justify discussion on ways to best minimize impacts and mitigate cognitive declines.

Keywords: American football;

Language: en