VALUE OF WEARING HEAD PROTECTION GEAR WHILE PLAYING HURLING

One of the three national games of Ireland, hurling is a contact team sport (15 a side) played with a metre long ash stick and a small hard leather ball. Over a 12 month period, 413 players were treated for hur ling-related injuries at Cork Regional Hospital. While hand and facial trauma predominate, the proportion between the two sites has changed substantially from previous reports with a reduction in the level of f acial injuries. The wearing of a helmet, and optionally a supplementar y faceguard, is seen to have contributed to this trend. Despite this w elcome reduction in facial injuries, a certain resistance to the use o f protective headgear is evident, particularly among older players.