One of the most interesting sessions I witnessed, ,"Emerging Technologies in Helmeted Sports", featured 3 speakers, each focusing on football, hockey, and lacrosse helmets. Here are just a few of the topics addressed:
Football Helmets: Both rotational and linear forces need to be considered when addressing concussive injuries. It's not always the direct hit which causes a concussion. Dr. Guskiewicz spoke about reinforcing proper technique, which is still in issue in high level athletes. A valid reminder as well that concussions are great at protecting the head and face, but the brain itself is a separate entity which can still move violently, while the outer "shell" or cranium remains relatively uninjured. A good historical reminder that was mentioned was that football helmets were developed to prevent the high rate of catastrophic injuries that were occurring in the sport, and if we use that criteria, the helmets themselves do a great job of just that.
Hockey Helmets: A big problem here is fit. Dr. Mihalik stated that during his recent study of 18 hockey helmets, none of them fit properly! In fact, he said, 7 of them could be removed without loosening or adjusting any straps at all. He showed one clip of a hockey athlete securely fastened to a spine board with his helmet, and had the athlete mimic cervical movement. He had substantial motion, which may speak to the thought process of simply removing the helmet when spineboarding a hockey athlete.
Lacrosse Helmets: This presentation detailed the lacrosse helmet and, amongst other items, the difficulty with the pop rivet. Dr. Higgins explained and displayed video of an equipment manager removing all pop rivets and replacing them with ones that could be "unscrewed". Some in the audience voiced concern over whether this in fact voided the helmet warranty. There was no clear answer. It seems the best course of action is to read the fine print, and check with the helmet manufacturer you are currently working with.
After listening to these three speakers, and the questions which followed the session, I couldn't help but think aloud to my colleague "We're just going to be teaching to completely remove the helmet all the time when spine boarding.", to which he replied "I've been saying that for years!" Essentially, if the helmet doesn't fit properly, it should be removed prior to spine boarding, as your main goal is to stabilize the cervical spine. Nonetheless, a fascinating topic, and judging by the massive attendance to this session, a very topical one to today's practicing ATC. So I ask you, are you ensuring all of your athletes are properly fitted, regardless of sport?
Football Helmets: Both rotational and linear forces need to be considered when addressing concussive injuries. It's not always the direct hit which causes a concussion. Dr. Guskiewicz spoke about reinforcing proper technique, which is still in issue in high level athletes. A valid reminder as well that concussions are great at protecting the head and face, but the brain itself is a separate entity which can still move violently, while the outer "shell" or cranium remains relatively uninjured. A good historical reminder that was mentioned was that football helmets were developed to prevent the high rate of catastrophic injuries that were occurring in the sport, and if we use that criteria, the helmets themselves do a great job of just that.
Hockey Helmets: A big problem here is fit. Dr. Mihalik stated that during his recent study of 18 hockey helmets, none of them fit properly! In fact, he said, 7 of them could be removed without loosening or adjusting any straps at all. He showed one clip of a hockey athlete securely fastened to a spine board with his helmet, and had the athlete mimic cervical movement. He had substantial motion, which may speak to the thought process of simply removing the helmet when spineboarding a hockey athlete.
Lacrosse Helmets: This presentation detailed the lacrosse helmet and, amongst other items, the difficulty with the pop rivet. Dr. Higgins explained and displayed video of an equipment manager removing all pop rivets and replacing them with ones that could be "unscrewed". Some in the audience voiced concern over whether this in fact voided the helmet warranty. There was no clear answer. It seems the best course of action is to read the fine print, and check with the helmet manufacturer you are currently working with.
After listening to these three speakers, and the questions which followed the session, I couldn't help but think aloud to my colleague "We're just going to be teaching to completely remove the helmet all the time when spine boarding.", to which he replied "I've been saying that for years!" Essentially, if the helmet doesn't fit properly, it should be removed prior to spine boarding, as your main goal is to stabilize the cervical spine. Nonetheless, a fascinating topic, and judging by the massive attendance to this session, a very topical one to today's practicing ATC. So I ask you, are you ensuring all of your athletes are properly fitted, regardless of sport?
You are right that helmets were developed to prevent the high rate of catastrophic injuries that were occurring in the sport, and if we use that criteria, the helmets themselves do a great job of just that.
ReplyDelete