Skull Caps Might Not Provide Adequate Protection in Contact Sports

While protective skull caps have become the preferred method for athletes to avoid head injuries, a new study funded by the International Rugby Board in Australia has found that such caps do not provide any real protection. Researchers tested the effectiveness of such headgear in more than 4.000 players who were split up into three different groups.

The first group wore trial helmets; the second wore regulation skull caps while the third group wore minimal or no head protection.

In the report that has been published on the website The Conversation, lead researcher Caroline French said that they found no evidence that wearing protective helmets prevented concussions. “We've got no evidence really that soft-shell helmets help prevent concussion, although they may prevent against superficial injuries. But we certainly wouldn't be saying at this stage that this is a protective device that is going to prevent everything”, she said.

Source-Medindia