Head impact severity can be decreased in youth ice hockey players when the player anticipates an impending body collision, especially in moderate impacts. In the study, “Collision Type and Player Anticipation Affect Head Impact Severity Among Youth Ice Hockey Players,” published in the June print issue of Pediatrics (published online May 17), 16 youth ice hockey players wore helmets capable of measuring biomechanical variables including linear or rotational acceleration and severity profile.

Study authors determined that out of 666 body collisions, 421 took place along the playing boards, and the remaining 245 hits occurred on the open ice. Open-ice collisions resulted in greater head linear and rotational accelerations, compared to collisions along the boards. Anticipated collisions tended to result in less-severe head impacts than unanticipated hits, especially in medium-intensity impacts. Hockey coaches are encouraged to spend time during practice educating players on how to deliver and receive body collisions safely in all areas of the ice, keeping safety of the players at the forefront

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 60,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults. For more information, visit www.aap.org.