840 MEP058 – Head acceleration events in female high school: an attempt to ‘take down’ concussion in wrestling

AbstractBackground Measurement of biomechanical forces in youth wrestlers from head impacts or other events (i.e., head acceleration with trunk impact) during matches can inform mechanisms of concussion. Objective To assess head biomechanics during high-school wrestling matches.Design Prospective cohort.Setting High school wrestling matches (2022–2023 season).Participants Twenty-nine female adolescent (ages 15–18) high-school wrestlers.Assessment of Risk Factors HAEs based on Instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) by Prevent Biometrics® were categorized based on video-analysis according to mat placement (centre/edge), offensiveness (offensive/defensive/neutral), and wrestling manoeuver (hand-fighting/headbutt/head snap/ground move/pin/takedown/throw/other).Main Outcome Measurements Resultant peak biomechanics: linear acceleration (PLA;g), angular acceleration (PAA;rad/s2), linear velocity (PLV;m/s), and angular velocity (PAV;rad/s) were examined and mean differences (δ;95%CI) across position, offensiveness, and wrestling manoeuvre were estimated using multiple multilevel linear regression nesting athletes within teams.Results iMGs gathered head acceleration event (HAE) data at 3.2 kHz during 229 matches. iMGs recorded a total of 1,315 video-verified HAEs above 3g (median±range: PLA=8.9±69.0g, PAA=700±4904rad/s2, PLV=0.4±5.1m/s, PAV=4.5±26.2rad/sec). Mat location was not associated with PLA, PAA, PLV, or PAV when adjusting for offensiveness and maneuver. Offensiveness type was not associated with PLA, PAA, or PLV, but was significantly associated with PAV where HAEs during neutral moves demonstrated significantly lower PAV relative to offensive moves (δ=-1.22rad/s,95%CI;-2.02,-0.41). Wrestling maneuver displayed a significant relationship between PLA and head-butting (δ=3.50g,95%CI;1.75,5.25) and takedowns (δ=1.47g,95%CI;0.05,2.89) relative to hand-fighting. Head-butting, ground move, takedown, and other manoeuvres were associated with increases in PLV (δ=0.07m/s,95%CI; 0.00,0.15: δ=0.16m/s,95%CI;0.08,0.23: δ=0.43m/s,95%CI;0.31,0.54: δ=0.14m/s,95%CI;0.07,0.21) relative to hand-fighting. Finally, only ground move and takedowns were associated with increases in PAV (δ=0.98rad/s,95%CI;0.19,1.77: δ=2.56rad/s,95%CI;1.52,3.60) relative to hand-fighting.Conclusion HAEs in high school youth wrestlers vary according to offensiveness and manoeuver. Specifically, high impact manoeuvres such as takedowns and head-butting result in higher head accelerations. Future research should consider how multiple HAEs may affect player health and concussion rates.