Sports doctors should not believe that players are protected from concussion by helmets and mouthguards, experts say today.
Doctors are warned that look out for the symptoms of concussion when a player is injured in the latest report from an international group of experts.
They are urged to resist pressure to get players with possible concussion back into play.
The findings, reported in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, set out how the injury can cause long term brain damage, especially in high impact sports such as boxing, rugby, ice hockey and different kinds of football.
The report, known as the Consensus Statement on Concussion in Sport, says helmets and mouthguards may protect players against injuries to the face and other head injuries.
But there is no good evidence they can help prevent concussion.
And the experts warn that protective headgear can simply lead to players taking increased risks.
The experts led by Dr Paul McCrory, of The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health, Heidelberg, Victoria, Australia, state: "An important consideration in the use of protective equipment is the concept of risk compensation…where the use of [this] equipment results in behavioural change, such as the adoption of more dangerous playing techniques, which can result in a paradoxical increase in injury rates."
They add: "Sporting organisations should be encouraged to address violence that may increase concussion risk."
Consensus statement on concussion in sport: the 4th International Conference on Concussion in Sport held in Zurich British Journal of Sports Medicine 12 March 2013; doi 10.1136/bjsports-2013-092313 [abstract]
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