Study: Most NHL and Youth Hockey Helmets are Unsafe

A study shows that most helmets used in the NHL and by youth hockey players are not safe.

A new independent study has found that hockey players, ranging across the National Hockey League, or NHL to the youth leagues, are at the risk of concussion from hits during matches due to a lack of protection thanks to poor quality helmets.

The study, conducted by Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, tested 32 helmets available in the market on their ability to protect the players from concussion. The study aimed to rank the helmets on a scale of five stars. It was not funded by the NHL, cost $500,000 and took three years to complete.

According to the study, published publicly last Monday, none of the helmets got a 4-star or 5-star rating. Only one helmet, made by Warrior Sports, got a 3-star rating. Nine helmets failed to get even a single star, and the rest got a 1-star or 2-star rating.

"We don't think anybody should be playing in these helmets," Stefan Duma, the head of Virgina Tech’s biomedical engineering department said, as reported by ESPN.

Players wearing the poorly rated could be at risk of anywhere between six to eight concussions per season, the report claimed. The two most expensive helmets available in the market, made by Bauer and CCM, received just one star.

The report raises questions over the testing methods used to certify hockey helmets, as it claims all 32 helmets were approved by the Hockey Equipment Certification Council. The report raises questions as to whether more can be done to improve the safety standards of a sport played by millions in the United States.  

Steps are, however, being taken to reduce the risk of concussions. These include coaching players to avoid head-on clashes, safer techniques to tackle, avoiding fights, among others. 

"There will never be a perfect helmet that will prevent all concussions. It's about risk reduction. The reality is when you look at the bottom and the top helmets, you're talking about massive reductions in acceleration, over half. I think almost all biomechanical engineers would agree that that's a significant difference," Duma said.

Read more here

A 24 year-old NFL player retired due to concussion risks

This article explains why Chris Borland, a linebacker for the 49ers, retired from the NFL at age 24 due to the high risks of concussions.

One of the NFL's most promising young players has announced that he is quitting professional football today, blaming the risk of concussion and serious brain injury on his decision to walk away from the sport. Chris Borland, linebacker for the San Francisco 49ers, told ESPN that he was retiring because he wanted to do what was best for his health, and didn't think football was "worth the risk." By leaving the league at only 24 years old, after a stellar rookie season, Borland rapidly becomes one of the most damning examples of the NFL's ongoing concussion crisis.

Borland says his decision to quit came from him wanting to "be proactive," leaving the sport while his brain is still healthy. The linebacker began to have doubts about his long-term career as a professional football player in his very first NFL training camp, during which he received a suspected concussion on a running play but decided to play through it in a bid to make the team. He told ESPN "I just thought to myself, 'What am I doing? Is this how I'm going to live my adult life, banging my head, especially with what I've learned and knew about the dangers?'" After the fourth game of his rookie season, Borland told his parents his time as a pro player would be short.

The linebacker told ESPN that he currently feels as sharp as he's ever been, but that he had researched the issue heavily, speaking with concussion researchers and former players, more than 4,500 of whom have sued the NFL for failing to adequately protect them from head injuries during their time in the league.

In his statement, Borland thanked the 49ers, saying the team "truly looked out for players' best interests," but his departure from the league is made even more notable by coinciding with the exit of several prominent young players. Borland was scheduled to be one of the stars of the San Francisco 49ers defense, playing the last season as the heir apparent to Patrick Willis, another top-tier defensive player who chose this year to retire from the sport after developing chronic pain in his feet. He was joined by by Steelers linebacker Jason Worilds, who announced this month that he was retiring from pro football to pursue other interests.

The NFL has had a long-running problem with concussions and head injuries, and its lackluster methods of protecting players, as detailed in the PBS documentary League of Denial. Many who have played the sport have gone on to suffer debilitating brain diseases. A number of players, including standout San Diego Chargers and New England Patriots linebacker Junior Seau, have committed suicide in the years after their retirement. Seau shot himself in the chest so his brain could be studied after his death — after autopsy, it was determined that he had been from chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a type of degenerative brain damage found in other players.

The NFL has made advances in technology designed to help reduce head injuries, but players such as Jahvid Best, a former first-round draft pick who sued both the NFL and helmet maker Riddell after receiving three concussions in two years, are still receiving knockout blows on the field of play that could disable them in later life. The league has also come under fire for a too-weak concussion protocol that allows clearly woozy players back onto the field. In October last year, Chargers defensive back Jahleel Addae played an entire game after being knocked out on the first play. In the fourth quarter, several hours after taking the blow to the head, Addae seemed to lose control of his body after making another hit, jerking his limbs and stepping awkwardly as he attempted to stay upright.

By stepping away from the sport at 24, Borland will avoid the kind of head injuries that could leave him crippled, with diminished mental faculties, or prone to fly into uncontrollable rages. Meanwhile, instead of pouring its efforts into keeping its players safe, the NFL still appears to be in favor of extending the regular season to a gruelling 18 games, despite arguments from the people who actually play the sport.

Read more here

Concussion risk not lowered by helmet add-ons

A study on helmet add-ons indicated that the add-ons may not reduce the risk of having a concussion. 

While the sporting industry continues to cash in on equipment that promises to reduce the risk of player injury, a new study on helmet add-ons suggests that the buyer should beware.

The study conducted by Florida’s BRAINS Inc. and presented at the American Academy of Neurology, tested four different sporting technologies targeting football helmets that are sold on the premise of reducing head injuries.

A concussion, a type of traumatic brain injury (TBI), can be caused by a bump, blow or jolt to the head, or by a blow to the body that causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The sudden movement can cause the brain to bounce around or twist in the skull, stretching and damaging brain cells which may create chemical changes in the brain.

Researchers used a crash test dummy head and neck to simulate head impact by modifying the standard drop test system approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment. Sensors were placed in the dummy’s head to measure linear and angular rotational responses to helmet impacts at 10, 12 and 14 miles per hour.

They then evaluated four football helmet add-ons currently on the market: Guardian Cap, UnEqual Technologies’ Concussion Reduction Technology, Shockstrips and Helmet Glide. Each technology was placed on the Riddell Revolution Speed and Xenith X1 football helmet and impacted five times from drop heights of 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 meters.

Researchers found that while the helmet add-ons reduced linear acceleration impact by about 11 percent, they only reduced angular acceleration impact by 2 percent. The Helmet Glide was even shown to have no effect on either.

“Currently helmets and helmet add-ons are only designed to reduce the linear acceleration, not the angular acceleration. The linear acceleration is responsible for the contusion injuries on the brain, skull fractures and bruising on the head. Angular accelerations are the forces associated with concussions,” study author Dr. John Llyod, the research director at BRAINS Inc. and board certified ergonomist and brain injury specialist in Florida, told FoxNews.com. 

The researchers noted that manufactures do not test the angular metric of injury prevention-based sporting equipment, but also that the add-ons do not have any negative affect on a player.

“The main issue with the add-ons is if you as a parent or even as an individual walk into Sports Authority or Dick’s Sporting, you ask ‘What are these for?’ and [salesmen] are going to say ‘They’re for preventing concussions,’” study co-author Dr. Francis Conidi, assistant professor of neurology at Florida State University College of Medicine and concussion specialist told FoxNews.com.

“First and most importantly, their intent is to market them to prevent concussions and they’re not training the individuals selling the devices. The parents are getting a false sense of safety, while the results show they offer little to no protection of concussion,” Conidi said.

Conidi explained that a concussion is more-so a whiplash-type injury than a straight-on impact, which is what the linear testing measures.

“If I hit you straight on with a baseball bat, I would not induce concussion,” he said. “I would probably fracture your skull, but I would not concuss it.”

“It’s really the angular and rotational mechanism of the skull that causes the tearing of brain cells, which causes the ion cells to leak out,” Conidi said.

The researchers conclude that because there is no device on the market right now that adequately protects an athlete against a concussion, athletes must be taught proper tackling techniques from an early age.

Conidi, who has treated numerous athletes of all levels for concussions, suggested working with the athlete to strengthen the cervical muscles so the head doesn’t bend to the side or rotate as easily.

“Most importantly, be educated on the signs and symptoms, especially the athletes themselves, and the parents and coaches. When in doubt, sit them out,” he said.

Currently, an estimated 173,285 sports and recreation-related TBIs are treated among children and adolescents in the U.S. each year. According to the CDC, for males aged 10-19 years, sports-and recreation-related TBIs occurred most often while playing football or bicycling.

The study’s authors hope their findings will lead to more rigorous testing of helmets and add-ons.

Read more here

Magnets in helmets may help reduce concussions

This article explains how adding magnets to football helmets could help reduce concussions by using a magnet's the repulsive forces.

Adding magnets to football helmets could reduce the risk of concussions, new research suggests. When two players collide, the magnets in their helmets would repel each other, reducing the force of the collision.

“All helmet design companies and manufacturers have the same approach, which is to try to disperse the impact energy after the impact’s already occurred,” neuroscientist Raymond Colello said November 15 at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience.

The magnets, he says, would put a brake on the impact before it happens.

The idea hasn’t been tested yet in helmets with real players, said Judy Cameron, a neuroscientist at the University of Pittsburgh. “But a lot of thought has gone into it, and the data that was shown about the ability of the magnets to actually repel each other looked extremely promising.” 

On the field, football players can run at nearly 20 miles per hour and can experience up to 150 g’s of force upon impact. Concussions readily occur at impacts greater than 100 g’s. Every year there are 100,000 concussions at all levels of play among the nearly 1.2 million people who play football in the United States.

Colello, of Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, is testing magnets made in China from the rare-earth element neodymium. They are the most powerful commercially available magnets and weigh about one-third of a pound each (football helmets weigh from 3.5 to 5.5 pounds). When placed one-fourth of an inch away from each other, two magnets with their same poles face-to-face exert nearly 100 pounds of repulsive force.

Colello tested his magnets with the same procedure that the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment uses to evaluate football helmets. He placed magnets on the front of a weight and let it drop from various heights onto another magnet. The heights Colello tested (between 6 inches and 4 feet) represent the impact forces athletes normally experience on the playing field.

“At 48 inches, if you dropped a standard helmet and it hit a stationary object, it would create 120 g’s of force,” says Colello. “With the magnets we drop that below 100 g’s.”

The magnets would complement existing helmet safety features. Colello speculates that adding magnets to a helmet would raise the price by $50 to $100. (Professional helmets today can cost several hundred dollars.) Amateur players, who will not experience impacts as crushing as pros do, could use helmets with cheaper, less powerful magnets.

Though the magnets do attract metallic objects, the National Football League prohibits athletes from wearing jewelry during games. Another safety concern is whether the magnets are dangerous to have near human heads. Colello says that a 30 minute- to one-hour MRI procedure produces magnetic fields 10 to 30 times as strong as those in helmet magnets.

Colello is now awaiting customized arc-shaped magnets that can be fitted inside helmets so he can begin field-testing them. First he will run crash-test dummy heads donning the helmets on a zip line; when the heads collide, accelerometers will measure the linear and rotational forces caused by the impact.

If the magnets make it through field tests, they could theoretically reduce the relative risk of concussions by up to 80 percent without changing the appearance or intensity of the game, Colello says.

Read more here

Age and brand of football helmet do not influence concussion risk

A recent study shows that both the brand and age of a football helmet do not change the risk of concussion for high school students.

A University of Wisconsin study suggests there is no difference in concussion risk for high school football players based on different brands or ages of helmets, according to a release.

The study involved 2,081 football players at 34 high schools in Wisconsin during the 2012 and 2013 football seasons, according to the release. Players completed a pre-season demographic and injury questionnaire, and sport-related concussions were recorded throughout the year.

A total of 206 players, about 9 percent, sustained a total of 211 SRCs during the study, officials said. During the study, players wore Riddell, Schutt and Xenith helmets.

The study also found that custom-fitted mouth guards increased SRC risk by 60 percent compared to generic guards; the rate of SRC was nearly seven times higher during competition than practice and four times higher during full-contact practice than no-contact practice; and age, BMI, grade in school or competition level was not associated with an increased risk of SRC.

Another important finding was that players who sustained an SRC during the previous 12 months were almost twice as likely to sustain another one compared to players with a history of SRC, according to the release.

“This was surprising because we found that the increased risk exists even when controlling for the players’ use of protective equipment, years of football experience and player characteristics, such as their grade in school and competition level,” said Tim McGuine, UW sports medicine researcher and co-author of the study. “These results highlight the need for medical providers to document a history of SRC in young football players and for more education among parents, coaches and the players about the increased concussion risk in these individuals.”

The researchers said other than learning appropriate tackling and other on-field techniques, properly maintained and fitted helmets remain one of the most important ways to prevent skull fractures and scalp lacerations in football players.

Read more here

Hot weather may play a role in concussions - Even a 2 percent loss in body volume is important!

A study showed that hot weather and dehydration can increase a person's chance of having a concussion.

A loss of just two percent of the body's water volume to dehydration -- a feat easily achieved during prolonged exercise in hot weather -- can lead to a significant reduction in the amount of cerebrospinal (CSF) fluid that a person has. CSF acts as a cushion to protect the brain from hitting against the inside of the skull during jarring movements. For football players, games conducted in hot and humid conditions could present the perfect storm of risk factors to up their chances for a concussion.

Researchers at the University of Windsor investigated whether the incidence of concussion increased along with the temperature. J. Craig Harwood presented the research team's findings in a poster session on Monday, April 28, at the Experimental Biology Meeting. Experimental Biology is an annual meeting comprised of more than 14,000 scientists and exhibitors from six sponsoring societies and multiple guest societies. With a mission to share the newest scientific concepts and research findings shaping current and future clinical advances, the meeting offers an unparalleled opportunity for exchange among scientists from throughout across the United States and the world who represent dozens of scientific areas, from laboratory to translational to clinical research.www.experimentalbiology.org

Harwood et al. compiled data on 420 NCAA FBS game-time concussions that occurred during games played outside over a five year period (2008-2012). They also looked at environmental conditions (temperature, humidity, and wind speed) during those games.

From the authors: "The relationship between hydration status and injury occurrence, such as skeletal muscle cramps, is well known, but more information is needed regarding physiological status and the risk of more severe injury like concussion. We were initially interested in the link between dehydration and concussion frequency/severity, however this type of observation was obviously problematic (e.g., measuring game time hydration status in thousands of athletes prior to head injury). Hydration status was unknown, and factors like helmet function (which is compromised in cold conditions) may hide true differences.

We hypothesized that if a relationship existed, we would be able to observe an increase in concussion frequency during games that took place under extreme conditions. But given the primary playing season (i.e., Fall), very few games were played in environmental extremes. Additionally, the high level of competition likely insured that athletes were well prepared for games in all conditions. In the end, the overall rates of concussions were consistent across game time temperatures, but a link between dehydration and concussion rate may still exist.

Read more here

Study shows higher altitudes reduce risk of concussion

According to a recent study, playing football at higher altitudes reduces a player's risk of concussion.

A new study on concussions for NFL players during the 2012 and 2013 season reveals that players are 30 percent less likely to sustain concussions when playing at higher altitudes. The data also suggests that helmet designs and rule changes, such as penal

A new study on concussions for NFL players during the 2012 and 2013 season reveals that players are 30 percent less likely to sustain concussions when playing at higher altitudes. The data also suggests that helmet designs and rule changes, such as penalizing helmet-to-helmet contact, have not shown a measurable reduction of concussions

The study identified “brain slosh” as the suspected common cause of concussions, not direct impact to the head. Because the brain doesn’t fit tightly inside the skull, rapid acceleration and deceleration of the head puts the brain at risk for a slosh-induced injury. This is why higher altitudes may help protect a player. Cerebral blood flow rises at higher altitudes, causing the brain to fit tighter inside the skull, thus reducing the risk of concussion.  It’s like bubble wrapping the brain.

The study concludes that the risk of sustaining a concussion is significantly less at games played in the nine NFL cities with the highest altitudes, cities that range from 644 to 5,192 feet above sea level. These cities include:

The combined odds of concussion during a game in one of these cities was 30 percent less than in the 23 other cities with NFL teams.

“If we’re going to solve this problem, we have to figure out a way to protect the brain from the inside out.  That’s why we think we might be on the front edge of something that could influence a paradigm shift in concussion prevention-strategies,” said Greg Myer, PhD, director of sports medicine research at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. Myer was the lead author of the study.

Read more here

Study claims there is a difference in concussion risk between helmets

A study shows that different types of football helmets have differing levels of risk for concussion.

Football helmets can be designed to reduce the risk of concussions, according to a new study by some of the nation's leading concussion researchers published today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

The study analyzed head impact data compiled from eight collegiate football teams that included Virginia Tech, University of North Carolina, University of Oklahoma, Dartmouth College, Brown University, University of Minnesota, Indiana University, and University of Illinois. Six years of data were collected between 2005 and 2010. During this time a total of 1833 players wore helmets that were equipped with sensors to measure the biomechanics of over one million head impacts. All players either wore a Riddell VSR4 or Riddell Revolution helmet. The researchers compared the rates of concussion between the two helmet types.

The manuscript reports a 54 percent reduction in concussion risk for players in the Riddell Revolution compared to players in the VSR4 helmet. "This is the first study to control for the number of times players hit their heads when comparing helmet types," said Steve Rowson, lead author and an assistant professor in the Virginia Tech -- Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Scienceshttp://www.sbes.vt.edu/ . "No previous study has been able to account for this variable. Controlling for head impacts allows you to compare apples to apples. For example, you're not comparing a player in one helmet who rarely gets hit to a player in another helmet type who frequently gets hit."

The sensors in the helmets measured head acceleration for each impact players experienced. Players in the VSR4 helmets experienced higher head accelerations resulting from impact than players in Revolution helmets. The authors attribute this to the Revolution helmets better modulating the energy transfer from the impact to the head, which results in lower head accelerations. "Helmets that better lower head acceleration reduce concussion risk," Rowson said.

The authors stress that no helmet will ever be able to prevent all concussions. "While some helmets will reduce risk more than others, no helmet can eliminate risk," said Stefan Duma, http://www.sbes.vt.edu/duma.php professor and head of the Virginia Tech -- Wake Forest School of Biomedical Engineering and Sciences. Better helmet design is just one of many strategies that play a role in reducing concussions in football. "The most effective strategies are altering league rules and teaching players better techniques. These strategies focus on reducing the number of head impacts that players experience," Duma added. "However, head impacts in football will always occur, even with the best rules and technique. This is where improving helmet design to best reduce concussion risk becomes critical. Our data clearly demonstrate that this is possible."

Read more here

Helmet type does not lower concussion risk

A new study shows that the helmet type, whether new or old, or extremely pricey or not, does not significantly change the risk of concussion.

Newer, heavier and more expensive football helmets will not lower a player's risk of concussion, new research finds.

A study of more than 1,300 players on football teams at 36 Wisconsin high schools found that players wearing older helmets received just as much protection from concussion as players with flashy new models, said study author Timothy McGuine, senior scientist and research coordinator for the University of Wisconsin Health Sports Medicine Center in Madison.

"The helmet technology is advanced as it can be. They've done a wonderful job. We don't have skull fractures in football," he said. "But I don't know how much padding can be put in to prevent the brain from sloshing around inside the cranium."

This research, to be presented Saturday at the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine's annual meeting in Chicago, comes at a time when some sports equipment manufacturers are marketing expensive football helmets amid claims that they offer better protection against concussion than earlier models, McGuine said.

"They're all being touted as the next best thing to prevent sports injuries, and it really puts the squeeze on athletic directors and coaches," he said. "Some companies are going right to the parents and saying, 'We know it's too expensive for the school to pay for it, so you should pay for this helmet to protect your child.'"

About 40,000 U.S. high school football players receive a concussion, which is a form of mild traumatic brain injury, every year during play or practice, McGuine said.

As part of the study, licensed athletic trainers at each high school kept detailed records during the 2012 football season. This included recording the safety equipment used by each player, including mouth guards, the number of games and practices in which each player participated, and the number of sports-related concussions sustained.

The players wore helmets manufactured by Riddell, Schutt and Xenith.

Out of 1,332 players tracked, 115 sustained a concussion during the season, McGuine reported.

Researchers found no difference in the rate of concussion by either the type of helmet worn or the helmet's age.

"We found the actual incidence of concussion was not more for players wearing the newest helmets versus wearing helmets 3, 4 or 5 years old," McGuine said. "We also looked at [concussion] severity by helmet model. No difference there, either."

The study also found that players who wore a specialized or custom-fitted mouth guard actually had a higher risk of concussion than players who wore a generic mouth guard provided by their school.

"Should parents pay $30 for a mouth guard to protect their son against concussion, or just use the $1 mouth guard the school provides?" McGuine asked.

The American Medical Society of Sports Medicine released a position statement in January that said hard sports helmets can prevent impact injuries such as lacerations or fractures but have not been shown to reduce the incidence or severity of concussions, said Dr. Anne-Felicia Ambrose, medical director of the traumatic brain injury unit in the department of rehabilitation medicine at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City.

"In terms of equipment, there really isn't that much more we can do," Ambrose said. "Where we have a lot of potential for reducing concussion is the way the game is played."

Altering the rules of football games and the guidelines governing practice sessions can make the game safer and prevent concussions, she said.

For example, limiting contact between players outside of competition is one means of reducing concussions, she said. "A lot more concussions occur during practice, when coaches cannot have their eyes on everyone on the field," Ambrose said. "The chance of impact is increased."

McGuine agreed. "I don't see any reason for kids to have full tackle on practice days," he said.

Coaches and athletic trainers also can help reduce injuries by properly fitting each player's helmet at the start of the season and checking the fit every week, he added.

Read more here