New Helmets, Lower Concussion Rate?
From ancient Rome through today, spectators romanticize and glorify the role of the gladiator. In America, fans, coaches and athletes "ooh" and "ah" over monstrous collisions that often leave one or both modern day gladiators dazed and confused. With the proliferation of sports highlights and videos, these so-called "highlight reel" hits are often encouraged and celebrated of athletes from a young age in sports such as hockey and football. In a way, these hits have become the measure of the man.
While physical "violence" is a part of both football and hockey, player safety, particularly concussions, has taken center stage.
In a highly publicized moved, the NFL has threatened to heavily fine and suspend players who target the head and neck area of opposing players during tackles. Short of fundamentally changing the sport by eliminating tackling, safety reform appears to need to begin with the equipment that players use, starting with the helmet.
The National Organizing Committee for Standards of Athletic Equipment (Nocsae) recently met to discuss altering its helmet testing standards. Nocsae's helmet testing standards, first published in 1973, have changed little through the years. Nocsae's outdated standards are aimed at preventing skull fractures, not brain injuries. To prevent skull fractures, testing is aimed at linear forces, however, many concussions are caused by complex angular forces that jar the brain or rotate the head suddenly. The challenge for Nocsae is to develop helmet standards and testing that take these complex movements into account.
Hockey: a Stride Ahead
Hockey appears to be a step ahead of other sports. Traditionally, hockey helmets consisted of a two-piece shell, which allowed for the player to adjust the fit. However, upon collision, the two-piece shell would slide rather than absorbing the energy of the hit, resulting in many high-profile concussions among some of the National Hockey League's (NHL) best players.
NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier, in conjunction with Cascade Sports, has developed the M11 hockey helmet, a one-piece shelled helmet that is aimed specifically at lowering the instances of concussions. The helmet is now being worn by many high school hockey players, college hockey players and a handful of NHL players, some of whom have a history of concussions.
While helmets cannot prevent all concussions, helmets that lower the instances of concussions are a step in the right direction.
