Head Impact Exposure in Youth Football: Middle School Ages 12–14 Years

Abstract

The head impact exposure experienced by football players at the college and high school levels has been well documented; however, there are limited data regarding youth football despite its dramatically larger population. The objective of this study was to investigate head impact exposure in middle school football. Impacts were monitored using a commercially available accelerometer array installed inside the helmets of 17 players aged 12-14 years. A total of 4678 impacts were measured, with an average (±standard deviation) of 275 ± 190 impacts per player. The average of impact distributions for each player had a median impact of 22 ± 2 g and 954 ± 122 rad/s², and a 95th percentile impact of 54 ± 9 g and 2525 ± 450 rad/s². Similar to the head impact exposure experienced by high school and collegiate players, these data show that middle school football players experience a greater number of head impacts during games than practices. There were no significant differences between median and 95th percentile head acceleration magnitudes experienced during games and practices; however, a larger number of impacts greater than 80 g occurred during games than during practices. Impacts to the front and back of the helmet were most common. Overall, these data are similar to high school and college data that have been collected using similar methods. These data have applications toward youth football helmet design, the development of strategies designed to limit head impact exposure, and child-specific brain injury criteria.

Similar head impact acceleration measured using instrumented ear patches in a junior rugby union team during matches in comparison with other sports

“…For example, the data acquisition limit used for recording impacts to the head in Pop Warner youth football 37 players was any linear acceleration greater than 30g, while other studies used 10g 10 and 14.4g 6,11,39 limits. No rotational accelerations were reported in Pop Warner youth football.…”

“…10 This study had similar impacts to the current study with players recording a median of 46 impacts to the head during matches but a higher median number of impacts (10) per player per match. In a slightly older youth football team (12-14 years old), 11 players recorded an average of 112 impacts during matches, or 12 impacts per player per match. Although the numbers of impacts per player per match are similar, the total impacts per match were higher.…”

“…37 This was slightly higher than middle school football players (12 to 14-year-old players), where the match average linear acceleration was 21g ± 3g. 11 Although youth players are smaller and had fewer head impacts than older players, they recorded higher magnitude impacts. The long-term implications of head impacts in an exposure paradigm are unknown.…”

“…37 However, the risk of a concussive injury, from impacts during sports activities such as football, is higher for younger players when compared with adults. 11 As well as a higher risk of a concussive event, younger players can also have a prolonged recovery process when compared with adults. 12 In American youth football (6-to 9-year-old players) there was a reported average of 107 impacts per player per season, with an average linear and rotational acceleration of 18g and 901 rad/sec 2 .…”

Abnormal White Matter Integrity Related to Head Impact Exposure in a Season of High School Varsity Football

“…5,27,28,30,31 Studies of head impact exposure for high school and youth football populations are only now beginning to emerge. 3,[32][33][34] These demonstrate accelerations, even for the youngest players, approaching those of collegiate athletes. A recent study of asymptomatic (clinically nonconcussed) high school football players (*50 players over two seasons) related HITS findings to cognition and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) n-back memory testing.…”