Comparison of helmeted head impact in youth and adult ice hockey

Concussion is a common injury with potentially serious outcomes following head impacts during ice hockey. Currently little is known about the differences resulting in concussion for youth ice hockey players in comparison to adults, which biomechanical factors contribute to brain injury risk, and the implications for helmet development and design. The objective of this research was to describe the mechanisms of injury for both adult and youth ice hockey players. Helmeted 50th percentile (Adult: 18+) and 5th percentile (Youth: 9‐ 11years) Hybrid III headforms were impacted according to the masses and velocities representative of two common mechanisms of injury in ice hockey: falling and collisions. Five sites were impacted for collisions, and three for falling, with linear and rotational acceleration the measured output. A finite element model of the human brain was used to calculate maximum principal strain values for the impacts. The results indicated that there is a risk of concussion for adults for falls and collisions, whereas the risk for the youths resided in the falling events.

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