WIFR (Rockford, IL)
February 13, 2025
New research from the University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health finds a device designed to help protect an athlete from sports-related concussions may provide a false sense of security.
“When I started seeing Guardian Caps on the sideline, I was curious if they were effective for reducing concussion,” said Dr. Erin Hammer, an associate professor at UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health. “At the end of the season, our analysis showed that there was not a difference in concussion risk between athletes who wore Guardian Caps and those that did not.”
A Guardian Cap is a soft-shell cover for a player’s helmet. It’s meant to protect an athlete’s brain and reduce the risk of concussions. But Hammer, the study’s lead author, says the theory doesn’t hold up in real-world conditions.
“There are laboratory studies that show that impact forces are reduced with Guardian Caps, but that has not been demonstrated to extend to concussion which is the outcome we care about,” said Dr. Hammer.
The research team conducting the study compared concussion rates of more than 2,600 Wisconsin high school football players among 41 teams during the 2023 season. Researchers said 1,188 players did not wear Guardian caps during practice, and 1,451 players did. There was no statistical difference between the groups.
Forreston’s high school football team uses the Guardian Caps or “puffy helmet.”
Head football coach Keynon Janicke says he turned to the device when he needed something to reduce his team’s in-practice injuries.
“We haven’t had a single head or concussion in-practice while we’re wearing them, so it’s been pretty nice,” said Janicke.
Janicke also requires players to wear the helmet covers at practice, no exceptions.
“I don’t know all the answers behind it but I know we are trying to make good decisions in the best interest of kids, so we’re completely fine with it,” said Janicke, in response to the study’s findings.
Researchers found different methods to prevent concussions such as employing athletic trainers, rule changes to limit contact during practice, training coaches in safety measures and adding extra jaw padding to the helmets can be more effective than Guardian Caps.
Dr. Hammer says the study only looked at the Guardian Cap’s effectiveness at the high school level. Players at the college and professional levels of football use a different, thicker model of the device.