After ferocious hits on the gridiron, some players may suffer concussions which may render them unable to play for a period of time or worse still, leave them completely unable to play for the rest of their lifetime.
If you read football news, you will know that cases of concussions are common occurrences in this game and they greatly vary in their severity. Occasionally, they don’t even need contact for them to occur, many of us don’t know that our brains freely float in our skulls and in events of quick motion followed by a sudden stop, the brain can bounce. No single remedy exists for bringing a player back to the gridiron safely due to the concussions’ varying nature. On top of all this, it’s not possible to see concussions on a CT scan or on an MRI scan. According to research, chances of a football player getting head injuries subsequently increases after he has suffered the first concussion.
Proper head protection in the field entails a number of small details which are very essential in getting your head out of harm’s way. Besides the advice given, proper accessories need to be purchased by a player so that they are adequately prepared for any impacts on the football field. This is not only about concussions, they are many injuries that a player can suffer if they lack adequate protection for the head.
Below are essential football accessories for optimum head protection;
The Football Helmet
This refers to the protective equipment worn over the heads of football players. The main components of this accessory are a hard shell built out of plastic and having a thick padding in the interior with a facemask and a chinstrap. Beyond all benefits that a football helmet accords a player on the gridiron, protection against concussions is the most important. The brain of the player is protected when they are met with impact as they collide with opponents or in the events when they fall down. The thick padding featured in the helmet’s interior plays the role of a cushioning system which prevents a player from receiving impact directly. Also during the moment of impact the chinstrap is very much crucial in keeping the helmet on.
Other injuries you protect yourself against by wearing a football helmet include injuries to your eyes, facial fractures and penetration injuries.
The Football Visor
Our second item in the bid to efficiently protect our heads against any injuries is the football visor. The visor is that piece of curved plastic attached to the masks of players covering their eyes. Visors for football such as SHOC visor give a player many benefits and they include:
Protection to the eyes
This is the main function of the visors. They help by offering protection against injuries resulting to the eyes such as striking of the eyes by fingers, the feet and the ball.
Improvement of vision
Improvement of vision by visors happens in the following ways;
By acting as a light filter – Visors which are tinted help in the filtering out of bright rays of sunlight in a similar way to how sunglasses work. When they are worn by players who are especially are light sensitive, this is a great addition on their gear.
Vision correction – There are visors which are prescribed for players with less than perfect vision. Their function is to allow them to properly see without the need for contact lenses, glasses or even corrective lenses.
Hiding the eyes
When a player wears tinted football visors, opponents are unlikely to see his eyes. This can prove advantageous but it can also pose as a safety risk. There is always a need to have a look at a player’s eyes when providing first aid in event of an injury in order to ascertain their condition.
The Football Facemask
The last item on our list is the football facemask and this refers to the part of the helmet directly covering the face of a player. This accessory offers the player great protection as it’s usually built from metal covered with either plastic or rubber.
Facemasks greatly vary and all this is dependent upon each wearer and his needs. The following are benefits of a facemask.
For protection – The main function is according protection to the player.
For improvement of vision – Improves vision against stadium lights and bright sunlight.
For expression – Players can decide to wear particular facemasks in order to express themselves.
