Head Acceleration Events Measured by Instrumented Mouthguards in Elite Australian Football.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The consequences of exposure to head acceleration events (HAEs) in collision sports, including Australian Rules football, are a growing concern. Instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) now enable accurate quantification of HAEs in sport; however, little is known about HAE incidence and mechanisms in Australian Rules football. We aimed to measure HAEs in elite Australian Rules football players, and evaluate the influence of playing position and match event on the incidence and magnitude of HAEs in men and women. iMG data were collected from Australian Football League (AFL) and AFL Women's (AFLW) players in 2023 utilising the HIT-IQ Nexus Gen III iMG, targeting 500 player-matches per sex. Match footage was synchronised with iMG data for video verification and match play coding.

SUBMITTER: Evans LJ 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12909668 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature