The addition of soft foam to shoulder pads worn by hockey players contributed to a reduction in the concussion rate among hockey players participating in a study, suggests researchers from Simon Fraser University (SFU).
The team, led by SFU professor Steve Robinovitch, tested the addition of an outer layer of soft foam over the shoulder cap to see if it would reduce the severity of shoulder-to-head impacts.
They then directed collegiate-level hockey players to deliver “comfortably hard” checks to the head of an instrumented body-checking dummy, while wearing baseline and modified shoulder pads.
According to the results, the team suggests that a 2 cm-thick layer of foam over the shoulder cap resulted in a 25% reduction in the peak linear acceleration of the head, and a 12% reduction in peak rotational velocity, explains a media release from Simon Fraser University.
The study was published recently in Medicine and Science in Sport and Exercise.
[Source(s): Simon Fraser University, Science Daily]
