Effectiveness of 2^ndSkull Products in Reducing Head Impact in Simulated Sports

Abstract

Cumulative effects of repetitive head impact have been highly associated with short and long term neurological conditions. Despite high rates of head injuries, many people in the U.S. and around the world continue to participate in collision sports. As one approach to address this concern, 2nd Skull has developed supplemental protective headgears including a skull cap, scrum cap and headband that can be utilized in both helmet and non-helmet sports. To test the effectiveness of 2nd Skull products as an adjunctive tool to reduce the severity of head impact, data were extracted from a series of tests completed at four sites under laboratory conditions using linear, projectile and rotational impactor to simulate blows to the head in sports. The majority of test cases showed the same pattern of reduced impact severity with the addition of 2nd Skull padding. It remains to be seen if these laboratory results will translate to the field.