166: ATSD – Do Guardian Caps Actually Decrease Concussions?

Welcome to another episode of Ask The Sports Docs. We get a lot questions from our listeners each week and they’re great questions, so rather than responding individually we thought we’d do these mini episodes where highlight some of the best questions and our responses. So, let’s get started!

Today’s Ask The Sports Docs focuses on a question that we get asked a lot on the sideline, in locker rooms and by parents of our young contact sport athletes: Do you recommend the use of Guardian Caps to decrease the risk of concussion? If you have watched NFL training camp over the last few years, you’ve seen them – Those padded shells over the helmets. They’re everywhere now in preseason practices. But are they actually preventing concussions? Or are we just seeing a visible symbol of safety without meaningful impact? 

That is what we are going to tackle today. And to do that, we’re going to review a recent article published in the August 2025 issue of AJSM titled “An Analysis of Guardian Cap Use and Changes in the Concussion Rate in NFL Preseason Practices From 2018 to 2023.”

Find us:

www.thesportsdocspod.com / www.cloganmd.com

https://orthopedicnj.com/physicians/ashley-bassett