The role of instrumented mouthguards in contact sports

If you work in rugby, you already know that head impacts are an unavoidable part of the game. But the growing concern around concussions and long term brain health, especially from repeated sub-concussive impacts, means we need better ways to track these collisions [1]. This is where instrumented mouthguards (iMGs) come in. These aren’t just regular mouthguards (or gum shields, for the UK folk). They’re fitted with accelerometers and gyroscopes that measure linear (g-force) and angular (rotational) velocity. They provide objective, real time data on head impacts, helping medical teams make inf...