Current Sports Gear ‘Suboptimal’ for Preventing Concussions
Published October 2017 | British Journal of Sports Medicine
A systematic review of research into equipment and protocols for some of the world’s most popular sports finds that headgear, mouthguards, face shields and educational programs for athletes can prevent some head injuries but are “suboptimal” at preventing concussions.
The new meta-analysis found “no difference in the relative risk of concussions in athletes wearing novel protective equipment relative to athletes wearing standard equipment.”
Armed with that finding, Cincinnati Children’s researchers are continuing their quest to study and prevent sports- and recreation-related concussions, an estimated 1.6-3.8 million of which occur in the U.S. each year, most of them affecting children and teens ages 10-19.
“Some headgear gear is very good at protecting against injuries like skull fractures and lacerations,” says lead author Greg Myer, PhD, the division’s Director of Research. “But we can’t expect to protect the brain by adding another external shell around the head, because doing that adds weight, mass and acceleration. Maybe we should be looking at something different, such as protecting the brain from the inside of the skull.”
He urges sports medicine specialists, equipment manufacturers and coaches to focus on innovative, evidence-based equipment and protocols, such as headgear that redirects impact to the skull, practice schedules that limit impact, or even new sporting techniques.
His team is studying the Q-Collar, a neck device that increases blood volume within the skull. The device, under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, is designed to prevent “brain slosh” and resulting structural and functional changes in the brain.
Myer does not support banning children from playing certain sports. Doing so “only reduces opportunities to be involved, learn teamwork and participate in lifelong sports.”
Faculty with the UC College of Medicine and UC Department of Pediatrics also participated in this research.
