HITIQ technology used in pioneering women’s rugby brain health study

HITIQ’s instrumented mouthguard technology is being used by Cardiff University researchers in a pioneering study examining how repeated head impacts may affect the brain in women’s rugby.

The study, recently featured in The Guardian, is focused on addressing a major evidence gap in women’s contact sport: the lack of female-specific research, data and assessment protocols for head impacts.

As women’s rugby continues to grow globally, researchers are working to better understand how repeated impacts during training and matches may affect the brain, and how this data can help inform safer, evidence-based guidelines for women’s rugby.

Closing the research gap in women’s sport

Women now make up approximately 25% of rugby players worldwide, yet research into head impacts and long-term brain health risk has historically focused heavily on male athletes.

The Cardiff University study, titled “Towards precise brain health guidelines for women’s rugby”, is seeking to build a stronger evidence base for women’s rugby by combining multiple layers of data, including:

• Impact data from instrumented mouthguards

• Cognitive testing

• MRI scans

• Computer modelling

According to The Guardian, Cardiff University researchers believe the project could help produce the first head impact assessment protocol in women’s rugby backed by scientific evidence.

HITIQ technology supporting objective head impact data

HITIQ’s technology is being used as part of the study to capture objective head impact data from players during training and match play.

Instrumented mouthguards provide a direct and practical way to measure head movement and impact exposure in contact sport. This helps researchers move beyond what can be seen from the sideline or reported after the event, creating a clearer picture of the impacts players experience over time.

For women’s rugby, this is especially important. The study highlights that existing professional head injury assessment thresholds for women have largely been adapted from men’s data, rather than built from female-specific evidence.

Supporting safer, smarter sport

The purpose of the research is not to discourage women and girls from playing rugby. It is to help sport become better informed.

By combining HITIQ impact data with clinical testing, imaging and modelling, Cardiff University researchers are working to better understand the relationship between repeated head impacts, cognitive outcomes and brain health in women’s rugby.

This reflects HITIQ’s broader role in sport: helping turn head impacts into measurable data that can support research, player safety, clinical decision-making and evidence-based protocols.

As participation in women’s contact sport continues to grow, the need for objective brain health data will become increasingly important.

HITIQ is proud that its technology is being used in this important research and contributing to the development of smarter, safer pathways for athletes, coaches, medical teams and sporting bodies.

Read the full article in The Guardian:
https://www.theguardian.com/education/2026/may/24/pioneering-study-aims-to-find-out-how-repeated-blows-to-head-in-womens-rugby-affects-brain