Questions over helmet design raised by sport injuries study

THE DESIGN of protective helmets worn on the sports field needs to be re-examined, according to the authors of a new study which found a significant number of severe injuries to the face among those wearing facial protection while playing games.

One of the most notable findings of the research, conducted at hospital emergency departments in the western region, was that sport accounted for more injuries than assault, while even players wearing helmets were not immune to fractures or losing teeth.

The study was conducted at hospitals from Donegal to Limerick during one week in July 2009 when a total of 6,100 people attended the 11 emergency departments. A “very high” proportion, 5.2 per cent, presented with facial injuries, the authors found.

One of the researchers, medical student Sinead Byrne, said it was noteworthy that more than 28 per cent of those presenting with facial injuries had been hurt while playing games, while just 17 per cent had been injured as a result of an assault, about half the proportion attributed to assault in similar studies in the UK.

The study was conducted some months before helmets became mandatory for those playing hurling.

Of the 93 people who suffered facial injuries while involved in sports, just over one in five was wearing a helmet. Seven out of 10 of those playing hurling did not have facial protection.

Worryingly, 63 per cent of those with facial injuries who were wearing a helmet sustained a “severe” injury, while only 48 per cent of those not wearing protective headgear sustained an injury of this nature.

Those without helmets sustained more contusions and simple lacerations than those with the protective headgear. However, 19 per cent of those with helmets sustained complex facial lacerations compared with 16 per cent of those without facial protection.

Players with helmets on were more likely to receive subluxation (partial fractures) and to lose teeth than those without. Those without helmets were more likely to fracture a tooth crown.

“To me, the study suggests that there is a need to look at the design of helmets,” stressed Ms Byrne, who presented the findings at Sligo General Hospital’s annual research conference on Friday.

The study found that almost one-third or 29 of those who sustained sports-related facial injuries suffered facial fractures. Ten of these occurred in people wearing helmets.

Only one person was wearing a mouth guard in the study.

As expected, the major cause of facial injuries were accidental falls (38.5 per cent) – the majority of which occurred in or around the home – while 11.4 per cent related to motor vehicle collisions.

Almost one-third or 32 per cent of the assault-related facial injuries were sustained in or around a pub and a third of these presented at the emergency departments on a Saturday night.

The researchers, who included Galway-based consultant maxillofacial surgeon Patrick McCann and registrar Tom Walker, found that just over half of the 93 sport-related injuries were “severe”, meaning that follow-up care or treatment was required.

Most of the sports injuries (37.4 per cent) were sustained by Gaelic footballers, compared with 27.4 per cent sustained by hurlers, probably reflecting the popularity of football in these counties.

Ms Byrne pointed out that not a single rugby-related injury was seen during the week, a possible indication of the sporting preferences of the counties covered in the study, along with the fact that the research was carried out during the summer.

“That is one of the reasons we are anxious to do further research in the winter months,” said Ms Byrne.

One of the most significant findings was the 8 per cent of the sports-related injuries caused by the use of trampolines, suggesting that more vigilance was needed in this area, she added.