What Is the Best Head Protection After a Stroke?
What Is the Best Head Protection After a Stroke?
The best head protection after a stroke should be safety-certified, independently tested and discreet enough for everyday wear. For someone whose mobility or balance has been affected by a stroke, protective headwear provides an additional layer of protection against head impacts from falls. Rezon Halos® combines CE and UKCA Category II PPE certification with independent biomechanical testing in a low-profile headband design [1, 2].
Why Can Head Injury Risk Increase After a Stroke?
A stroke can affect strength, sensation, balance, coordination and awareness of limb position. It may also make everyday movements such as standing, walking, gripping or transferring between a bed and chair more difficult [3, 4].
A systematic review of fall risk after stroke found that balance and movement-related measures were among the most common and significant ongoing risk factors [3].
In practical terms, reduced mobility can make it harder for someone to:
- Regain their balance after becoming unsteady
- Move away from a hazard
- Put out an arm or turn their body during a fall
- Transfer safely between beds, chairs and mobility equipment
Reduced mobility and balance can therefore increase the likelihood of falls and accidental head impacts after a stroke.
Protective headwear can provide additional protection when a continuing risk of head impact remains despite rehabilitation, mobility support and changes to the person’s environment.
Does Everyone Need Head Protection After a Stroke?
Stroke affects people differently, people recover movement to different degrees, and rehabilitation should be based on individual needs. NICE recommends assessing how a person moves, including transfers between a bed and chair, and providing a personalised rehabilitation plan [5].
Head protection may be worth discussing when someone:
- Experiences frequent or unpredictable falls
- Has significantly reduced mobility or balance
- Cannot reliably protect their head during a fall
- Has already experienced one or more head impacts
- Has another condition, such as seizures, that increases the risk of sudden collapse
A physiotherapist, occupational therapist, falls specialist or stroke rehabilitation team can help families understand the individual risk.
Where head protection is required because part of the skull remains vulnerable following an operation, read our separate guide to head protection after brain surgery.
What Should You Look for in Medical Head Protection After a Stroke?
Not all hats or headbands sold as medical protection offer the same level of protection. Families should look beyond appearance and consider whether the product has credible evidence behind it.
Credible UKCA/CE PPE certification
Protective headwear should have clear conformity documentation and an appropriate CE or UKCA marking. The Health and Safety Executive states that new PPE placed on the British market must carry an appropriate conformity mark and be supplied with a declaration of conformity and instructions [6].
Independent impact testing
Look for testing conducted independently of the manufacturer. The methodology should be clearly explained and should assess the forces transmitted during an impact.
Virginia Tech’s independent STAR system, for example, measures both linear and rotational head acceleration across multiple laboratory impacts [1].
Independent results provide a more credible basis for comparing products than padding or marketing descriptions alone.
Secure and comfortable fit
Head protection must remain correctly positioned to provide its intended coverage. Size, fit, compatibility and weight should all be considered when selecting PPE [7].
Comfort is particularly important when the headwear may be used throughout normal daily activities. Protection that is bulky, restrictive or uncomfortable is less likely to be worn consistently.
Discreet, non-medicalised design
A stroke can be life-changing and have consequences for independence, work, leisure and daily routines [8].
Overly medicalised headwear can introduce another visible change at an already difficult time. A discreet design can help protective headwear fit more naturally into the person’s existing clothing, identity and routine.
The aim should be to support safety without making the wearer feel unnecessarily defined by their condition.
Author: Alex Reily
