No idea what NRL physio says but headgear does nothing to protect the brain from concussion.
Yep.
I'm not aware but I would have thought headgear would also be mandatory for juniors and eventually within 20yrs in NRL by which time are accustomed to wearing headgear.
Understandably, headgear does not prevent the brain from rocking and rolling during a collision however it absorbs the impact, eg a 20km impact may now be a 10km impact thereby minimising injury. Additionally, headgear minimises superficial cuts and bruises.
Sharkmate. Go and have a look at the actual science on this. Doesn't prevent concussion, but does minimise cuts and abrasions (moreso in Rugby Union with mauls etc.). There is also some data suggesting that wearing headgear could make players over-confident and thus
more likely to suffer a concussion.
https://scholar.google.com/scholar?...ussion+rugby&btnG=&oq=headgear+concussion+rug
Here is one conclusion specifically addressing drop test impacts.
This indicates that the foam material was completely compressed at an impact energy above about 20 J and therefore offers little protection against impacts of greater severity. Repeated tests using a drop height of 0.3 m showed that some helmets exhibit a “memory” effect, whereby impact performance is reduced by up to 50% with repeated impacts.
Laboratory tests indicate that current commercially available football headgear performance will not reduce the likelihood of concussion. The absence of internationally recognised standards for soft headgear designed to ameliorate concussion is a major deficiency in sports injury prevention.
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So a 1kg weight dropped from 50cm completely compressed the foam. Any force greater than that is worn by the head.
Yep. It only protects from cuts and abrasions.
...and makes mums feel better about little Johnny playing footy.
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I my experience, the amount of children who wear headgear in their first year of Rugby League is close to 100%, but about half of them get rid of it before the end of their first year. Most kids who play with it past year two tend to stick with it, for no other reason than it being a confidence thing and/or their parents saying they have to.
In the end, don't put your kid in headgear to protect him, but if he/she has to wear it to make mum feel good, so be it. It's better than leaving to play soccer.