3 Reasons Why You Want to Wear Body Protection

for AFL, Rugby Union (ARU) & Rugby League (NRL)

Concussions

Illustration of different types of traumatic brain injuries including direct impact injury, acceleration-deceleration injury, and blast injury.
Visual comparison of the three types of traumatic brain injuries: Direct impact injury, Acceleration-deceleration injury, and Blast injury

High-impact collisions are a defining feature of rugby, especially in scrums, tackles, and rucks. While the physicality is part of the game’s appeal, it often leads to serious injuries such as concussions and bone fractures. In fact, concussions are the most common injury in professional rugby union, typically caused by direct blows to the head.
However, you don’t always need to hit your head to sustain a concussion. During a tackle, the athlete’s body experiences a sudden, blunt stop, while the head continues to move, causing the brain to jolt inside the skull. This can result in a concussion, even without direct impact.

Wearing proper body protection helps to minimize the sudden blunt force experienced by the body during contact. By reducing the severity of these impacts, body protection plays a critical role in preventing injury, protecting not just bones and muscles, but also indirectly safeguarding the head from the jarring motions that can lead to concussions. This is important across all high-contact sports, including American football, boxing, mixed martial arts (MMA), and hockey.

Breast Injuries 

Close-up of bruised skin on the chest area, showing large areas of discoloration and swelling.
An image depicting extensive bruising on the chest, with visible purple and red discoloration covering large areas of the skin

A prevalent concern is the potential for breast trauma to lead to cancer, particularly when injuries result in lump formation.

However, these lumps are usually not cancerous and include hematomas (deep bruises) and fat necrosis (scarred fatty tissue from injury). While there is no direct link between trauma and cancer, the possibility cannot be entirely dismissed. Research, such as a study published on NCBI, shows that a significant number of elite female athletes report breast injuries impacting their performance, yet often do not discuss these injuries with professionals.

Performance

A 2018 a study in the U.S. found that 47% of 90 female college soccer players experienced breast injuries, yet only 5% reported them. Many girls might feel uncomfortable discussing such injuries with male coaches, and injury surveys from sports clubs often overlook breast injuries. Additionally, 18% of the injured athletes stated that their injuries impacted their performance. A striking 98% of those who sustained breast injuries were only wearing standard sports bras without any additional protection.

In a 2020 survey of 207 female Australian Football League (AFL) and Rugby players, 58% reported having experienced breast injuries from contact, and 48% believed these injuries affected their game performance. While 87% of AFL players wore sports bras, only 31% felt their bras provided adequate protection against breast injuries.