Think Modern-Day Football Helmets Provide More Protection Than Leatherheads?
- Posted on November 7, 2011 at 2:03pm by
Liz Klimas
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(Photo: Pigskin Buzz)
You would think that modern football helmets — the ones made out of polycarbonate with foam padding — are vastly superior to the leatherheads of yesteryear, but a new study found that leather football helmets perform just as well if not better in some collisions.
With head injuries from collision sports having more attention paid to them, a study was conducted by the biomedical lab of Cleveland Clinic to evaluate the different between modern and old-fashioned helmets.
NFL player grips his helmet after a collision in a 2008 game. (Photo: AP/Mel Evans via CTV)
Science Daily reports that the researchers simulated and analyzed hits similar to those that would happen in practice and on game day. The findings were that in most cases the two helmets performed equally as well, with leather helmets outperforming modern helmets in some instances.
“The point of this study is not to advocate for a return to leather helmets but, rather, to test the notion that modern helmets must be more protective than older helmets simply because ‘newer must be better,’” said lead researcher Adam Bartsch, Ph.D., Director of the Spine Research Lab in Cleveland Clinic’s Center for Spine Health, said in the clinic’s news release. “Unlike cars, in which seat belts, airbags and crumple zones make the choice between a 1920′s Model T and modern mini-van a no-brainer, these results tell us that modern helmets have ample room to improve safety against many typical game-like hits.”
“Today’s safety standards are no longer state-of-the-art predictors of injury,” said Edward Benzel, MD, Chair of Cleveland Clinic’s Department of Neurological Surgery. “Of course, preventing skull fractures is vitally important, but concussion prevention needs to be an integral part of the standards as well. Also, helmets need to protect against the cumulative effects of multiple lower impact blows that may not lead to a concussion immediately but may add up to cause severe long-term head, neck or brain injuries.”
The researchers found that while modern helmets and helmet standards are effective for neck and spinal cord protection and in high-impact collisions, they are not as safe as thought for receptive mild to moderate collisions. The researchers suggest standards and helmet testing focus their efforts beyond just high-impact collisions.
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A Conservatarian
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 6:16pmFootball is dangerous, only way to cut it. I was too afraid to play pop warner as a kid and went out for baseball and soccer instead. I found out I had bad joints (turned out to be rheumatoid arthritis, yay!) so had to stop playing sports all together at 10. By ninth grade I’d become a chubby little sissy. I decided to do something about that and went out for football; like Patriot Dave, I was a tackling dummy for a year and could not handle the hits. I cringed every time before the hit, which is no way to hit someone. My first time in a game, I fell flat on my face when a running back juked me on the way for a touchdown.
Report Post »But, I had gotten used to the beatings and hard work.
Over the off season and summer I grew from 5′9” to 6′4”… and gained 3 more inches in the next couple of years. Summer practice started and I figured, screw it, I was going to go all out and hit as hard as I could no matter how hard I was hit. I’ve given out many concussions, taken one, broken bones, torn ligaments and muscles, had my nose broken multiple times and reconstructed and, I loved it. Of course by college ball, the hitting was too much and my joints couldn’t handle the trauma any longer. It was a fun run, dangerous and I could’ve been hurt much worse. Rugby on the other hand, those boys are crazy and I wouldn’t play that game even if paid millions. Football is not the controlled brawl that Rubgy is, and if it were, yes, given the size of the players, the injuries would be
palmettopalflorida
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 4:01pmIn the 1950′s, my brother and I would play with my father‘s leather football helmet from the ’30′s. I still get upset that it was lost during a move in 1959. It was, really, a cool thing.
Report Post »MUSE_FENDERTAMA
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 12:39pmI’d love to see a game with throwback jerseys, leatherheads and old-fashioned ads.
What would be cooler than that?
Report Post »bigorangemo
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 11:16amAlso, the game changed to the equipment. Back in the leather head days, they tackled differently and rushed the ball. Nowadays, the helmet is used as a weapon and the forward pass is critical to an offense. And there wasn’t a Face Mask Penalty when face masks first came out. not for a few years.
Report Post »Highland
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 2:20pmExactly. Today‘s defensive backs seem to have a false sense of security from today’s helmets. If they were wearing the old ones, I doubt they’d be spearing receivers with such reckless abandon.
I‘d also like to see today’s pro golfers play with the old equipment. Good luck.
Report Post »OniKaze
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 11:08amOR…… Put away the pads (sissy’s, you get paid millions to play a fun game, the least you can do is risk some physical injury…) and pick up a rugby ball.
I used to play football, and it was pretty fun, but then I discovered rugby, and now when I see nothing but sissy’s going on the disabled roster for what in rugby we considered a minor injury. Personally I had my face stepped on (by .5″ aluminum cleats) and it broke the bone under my right eye, and caused a fracture in the bone above it.. Thanks to our good friend adrenaline, I was able to finish the game. But that is what makes the game fun…
If it was perfectly safe, not only would it be no fun, but it would almost be as boring as basketball (although I am not sure ANYTHING can be as lame as basketball..)…
Report Post »jackbauer2012
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 3:48pmI’m not so sure that Rugby athletes Bench press 500-700 lbs. Or 225 lbs 20+repetitions. Also I don’t think Rugby athletes squat 1000+ lbs. I bet most of your running backs and they only weigh about 225 squat 600 lbs + Emmitt Smith would squat 700 lbs and that was over 10 years ago and the athletes have only gotten stronger and faster since then. keep in mind a 265 lbs linebacker is just about right in today’s NFL and strong as an ox. The impact of a middle linebacker and a running back meeting for a tackle at the line of scrimmage at full speed is equal to the impact you would feel if you drove your car at 35 MPH into a brick wall. It’s a different sport. With different types of impacts. It‘s different from Rugby so you can’t make those comparisons and it is different from the 1970′s NFL during which time the offensive linemen were about 220 lbs.
Report Post »thepatriotdave
Posted on November 8, 2011 at 12:04amLesson of the story… If you are gonna play Football expect to get hurt. Otherwise you are fooling yourself.
Report Post »I love the game of Football, but I learned at an early age that I couldn’t play the game. I played in 7th and 8th grade, then tried-out for the team in my Freshman year of High School. After a week of getting used as a tackling dummy I was forced to quit. I just could not take the hits being doled out.
For many years I thought I was something of a sissy because I wasn’t tough enough to play Football, then I found out the real problem. I was evidently born with a degenerative bone disease and every time I was getting hit hard I had bones fracturing almost everywhere. No wonder I was in so much pain!
Don’t complain after you get hurt badly playing a dangerous game. You knew it was dangerous prior to playing and could have taken up catching Butterflies as a hobby instead.