What Is Brain Protection in Sport?
The understanding of brain injury in sport has changed significantly in recent decades.
In the past 20 years, there has been a greater interest in the long-term consequences of brain injury in contact sport. The understanding and appreciation of brain trauma has shifted from singular traumatic brain injury and concussion, to the cumulative exposure of repetitive small force impacts, sub-concussions, over the course of a playing period.
For many years, protective equipment was designed primarily to reduce visible injuries such as cuts, bruises and fractures. However, advances in neuroimaging have shown that brain injury often occurs without visible head trauma or concussion symptoms.
These insights have led to the emergence of a new category of protective equipment known as brain protection.
Brain protection technology focuses specifically on reducing injury to the brain during both concussive and more frequent, smaller force sub-concussive head impacts.
What Is Brain Protection?
Brain protection refers to protective equipment designed specifically to reduce the rotational forces transmitted to the brain during concussive and sub-concussive head impacts.
Unlike conventional sports headgear, which is typically designed to reduce surface injuries, brain protection technology aims to reduce rotational forces associated with brain injury.
Effective brain protection must reduce rotational force transmission.
Rotational forces are considered the primary biomechanical driver of concussion and traumatic brain injury [1].
Why Brain Injury Happens in Sport
When the head experiences an impact, the skull accelerates rapidly while the brain momentarily lags behind due to inertia.
This relative motion causes the brain to rotate within the skull. This is associated with tearing of tiny blood vessels and brain cells resulting, over time, in the breakdown of the blood-brain barrier and the creation of damaging neuro-inflammation [2].
Understanding this mechanism is essential for designing effective brain protective equipment.
Head Protection vs Brain Protection
Understanding the difference between head protection and brain protection is essential for a player, parent, coach and organisations with a duty of care, including schools and clubs.
Traditional headgear and brain protection are not the same category, and governing body approval should not be mistaken for evidence of brain protection.
| Head Protection | Brain Protection |
|---|---|
| Designed to reduce cuts, abrasions and surface injuries | Designed to reduce brain injury risk |
| Typically focuses on reducing linear impact forces | Reduces linear forces and, more importantly, rotational forces, the primary driver of brain injury |
| Typically uses foam padding | Uses advanced protective technology engineered for brain safety |
| Protects the surface of the head | Designed specifically to protect the brain |
| Traditional all-head coverage sports headgear | Modern brain protection technology |
What the Rezon Survey Revealed
The Rezon Survey, conducted in partnership with the UK National Innovation Centre for Ageing and Voice at Newcastle University, revealed significant gaps in understanding around brain injury in sport amongst parents, players, coaches, club officials and volunteers.
The survey found that while awareness of concussion symptoms is relatively high, understanding of sub-concussive impacts and cumulative brain injury risk is much lower.
Many respondents also incorrectly believed that traditional sports headgear protects the brain, despite the fact that traditional/conventional headgear is designed only to reduce surface injuries.
Engineering Requirements for Brain Protection
Effective brain protection technology must evidence several important design principles.
- Demonstrated qualified rotational force reduction
- Evidenced testing under independent peer-reviewed biomechanical tests
- CE / UKCA Category II PPE certification, the legal standard for protective equipment beyond cuts and scrapes in the UK and Europe.
These design requirements represent a shift from traditional headgear focused on visible injury, to protective technology focused on brain health [4].
Brain Protection Across Sports
Brain injury risk exists across a wide range of sports. Head impacts can occur through collisions, falls, or contact with equipment in many sporting environments. Brain protection technology is therefore relevant across contact, collision and combat sports, including:
Watch: Rezon Halos® is worn in 19 sports and 34 countries.
Reducing exposure to rotational forces in concussive and sub-concussive impacts is increasingly recognised as an important strategy for protecting long-term brain health in sport and for players of ages, abilities and levels.
Brain Protection Technology Today
As understanding of brain injury continues to evolve beyond singular traumatic brain injury and concussion, protective technology has advanced.
Brain protection technology represents a shift in sports safety from reactive injury management toward proactive protection to preserve brain health and reduce the risk from repeated sub-concussive brain injury.
By designing equipment specifically to reduce the rotational forces in concussive and sub-concussive head impacts, brain protection technology aims to reduce the risk of triggering longer-term neurodegenerative consequences.
Frequently Asked Questions About Brain Protection In Sport
👉 Learn more about Rezon Halos® and evidence-based brain protection in sport here.
- Biomechanical investigation of head impacts in sport. C Withnall, N Shewchenko, R Gittens, J Dvorak. British Journal of Sports Medicine.
- Brain Injury Science. Further Reading. Rezon
- Subconcussive Head Impact Exposure and White Matter Tract Changes over a Single Season of Youth Football. Naeim Bahrami, Dev Sharma, Scott Rosenthal, Elizabeth M. Davenport, Jillian E. Urban, Benjamin Wagner, Youngkyoo Jung, Christopher G. Vaughan, Gerard A. Gioia, Joel D. Stitzel, Christopher T. Whitlow, and Joseph A. Maldjian, 2016.
- Does Headgear Prevent Concussion? What the Science Actually Shows. Further Reading. Rezon.
- Rezon Halos® Product Testing.
Author: Alex Reily
