Safety and equipment have come a long way in football in order to prevent brain injuries. A very important piece of equipment used to prevent brain trauma is the helmet. The helmet has evolved a lot over the years, even more in the past decade. The Helmets main purpose use to be just to stop skull fractures, then they added the facemask to prevent facial injuries. Concussions are more of a recent concern (Hand 1). Overconfidence in the helmets' protective power prompts many NFL athletes to deliver and accept hits that would have killed players of previous generations. Now the helmet is being revolutionized. Helmets aren't only being created to stop skull and face fractures but they are being created to help prevent brain damage such as concussions now. Helmets have gone through testing to see how to design a better preventative helmet. These newer helmets are being designed to reduce the amount of force that is being applied to the head by a hit that is received (Vandantam 2). Virginia Tech football has been monitoring helmet collisions since 2003, courtesy of Dr. Gunnar Brolinson. Dr. Gunnar Brolinson has outfitted the teams helmets with six sensors and a small antenna that records and transmits data to a computer on the sideline. This information collected is crucial because it will help find better ways to design a helmet that will prevent concussions(Goldman 1). Equipment isn't the only important part of football that can help prevent concussions.
Over the past couple of years the National Football League as well as other football associations have witnessed a rise in the occurrences of severe head trauma to players resulting in concussions. One of the NFL’s top priorities is the health and safety of their players. These NFL players bring an abundant amount of joy and excitement to their wild, raving, die hard football fans across the nation. However, these mens’ health today and for decades to come is equally if not more important than their careers that often last an average of 4 years playing football. Despite the increase in the number of concussions in football, leagues are doing all they can to prevent concussions by implementing new rules, provide new and improved equipment,
Josh Weinfuss expressed that to precede to come back to practice or play, not exclusively should the team doctor clear the player, yet the Independent Neurological Consultant with mastery in concussions should likewise assess and clear the player to come back to practice and play. They likewise have a specialist who has some expertise in cerebrum wounds that strolls around the sidelines amid NFL amusements who disregards if a player ought to backpedal into the diversion or not. The NFL website composed that, "what's more, the NFL and the NFL Players Association cooperate to ensure players by delineating infractions and disciplines for uncalled for player lead, perilous plays or erroneous utilization of security gear. The alliance likewise orders the correct support and testing of playing fields to lessen the danger of damage." Riddell a long-lasting protective cap supplier for the NFL has delivered another cap called the Speedflex which could decrease cerebrum harm fundamentally was presented in 2014. Will Carrol composed that what's so exceptional about this head protector and how it contrasts from different caps is the set pattern in the front. It's known as a cantilever, it enables the head protector to have greater adaptability while keeping up a general firmness. The thick cushioning behind the zone that is moves a considerable measure doesn't enable it to move much, however sufficiently only in a territory where players can take huge hits. The effect from either side likewise permit more flex in the protective cap to scatter the hits inside before the drive gets to the head. The issue is likewise that the chinstrap that is utilized to ensure the protective cap is bolted on the player's head hasn't been changed for more than 70
“ Why helmets don’t prevent concussions - And what might ” where he talks about his extensive research done on concussions and the long - term effects concussions have on football players he states, “ Numerous research has been done proving that helmets don’t prevent concussions and weren’t built to protect against many injuries, they also don’t protect the neck ” proving that helmets are almost completely useless when it comes to a serious injury such as a concussion or bad crack to the head and that little to know precaution has been done to improve the durability and safeness of football helmets. I personally would not give my son permission to engage in such a dangerous sport due to the fact that it can lead to concussions, serious injuries and lifelong brain damage. What happens to the brain when it is presented with a concussion is explained with great detail by David Camarillo in his TED talk about concussions where he explains “ The head moves forward, the brain lags behind, then the brain catches up and smashes into the skull. It rebounds off the skull and then proceeds to run into the other side of the skull ”, it is shown in even greater depth in his video basically presenting that “ It does lag behind the skull and then catch up and move back and forth and oscillate. However, the amount of motion you see in the brain is probably not right at all. There's very
Football being one of the most physical sport it is, I grew a love for it in all aspects. I’ve been playing the game of football for 10 plus years and can’t stress enough the importance of technique and player safety. In recent years people have become concerned with the long term effects of head related injuries caused by repeated collisions on the field. Head injuries such as concussions often leave participants of all levels permanently injured for life if the correct treatment isn’t provided. This is why studies around the country are being constructed to keep athletes safe and prevent any further injuries.
Bone-crushing hits and flying tackles are all part of what makes football exciting to watch, but they are also part of the reason why the sport is now facing heavy criticism over the serious head injuries that it can bring. In response to concerns from both the public and players about injuries, research into making this head-crushing sport safer has become a leading concern for the NFL and many other sports medicine organizations across the country.
A team of researchers and engineers at the University of Michigan undertook a four-year challenge sponsored by the NFL to create a helmet with better protection from brain injuries from sports. Current helmets worn by football players, including the pros, reduce the force put on the skull during a collision. However, the current helmets do
There is a lot of rising controversy surrounding minors and high-impact sports like football. From Elementary age kids playing little league to high school football, an increasing number of studies are surfacing that are showing many negative effects surrounding head trauma. Some experts are even calling for the sport to be banned from middle and high schools. The concerns surrounding head trauma have existed in the NFL for numerous year, and these concerns brought foreword extensive new research in detection, effects, and prevention. Even today the NFL plans to spend 100 million dollars on new prevention and treatment options for concussions. The shock absorption technology used in football helmets has made advanced majorly in the last 10 years, yet concussion rates are increasing. With the risk of head trauma having long term consequences, especially in minors with developing brains, the ideas of terminating the sport take root. Although serious, these risks are far outweighed by the benefits of football that a substitute sport can not provide: The answer to how to make football safer for minors is much simpler and cheaper than advancing technology.
Football can be a very dangerous sport. And although those who play the game believe that they are being protected by the helmets that they wear, the truth is that this may not be the case. In a recent study released by the American Academy of Neurology it has been found that “protection against concussion and complications of brain injury is especially important for young players, including elementary and middle school, high school and college athletes, whose still-developing brains are more susceptible to the lasting effects of trauma”(Science Daily, 2014). The study also found that standard football helmets worn by the majority of players on the field today, only reduce the risk of traumatic brain injury by 20 percent compared to not wearing a helmet at all (Science Daily, 2014).
Have you ever speculated how football affects its players? Well these are some of the fascinating things that I discovered. There is a very dangerous disease that many pro football athletes develop called CTE that can be contributed to countless deaths of NFL players. There is also a problem with the helmets in the NFL that inventors/players are trying to solve. The head trauma issue in the NFL is generating many complications and resulting problems, including the CTE matter, head to head hits, and the ongoing helmet issue.
I think most NFL players get injuries because experience traumatic brain injuries at rates. Most football players who play for the NFL are to risky to play for the NFL to get hart and something else. Some people think that it is safety to play football because do not appear to have much of the impact. Most of the players started had injuries in 2015. Someone can concussion is a brain injury that can cause someone or somebody to lose consciousness. the US Army Research Laboratory in Baltimore is looking at using the specially designed straps that would help the helmet to the body and similar to suspenders to help the football players with the injury or not to have injury. It can start to help the football players when they practice every day
In 2011, the National Hockey League, NHL, enacted a new rule that restricts players from striking another player in the head or neck area (Paisley, “New Rule to Avoid Hockey Concussions”). Similar rules will contribute to the prevention of a player suffering consequences set by the league. Players on the receiving end of the hit may experience injuries such as brain damage, lacerations, or a concussion. the aggressor may receive a fine or an indefinite suspension. Thus, harming team chemistry and risking the team’s ability to reach full potential. Comparably, the National Football League, NFL, created a rule to lessen the chances of concussions. The rule states that a player, offense or defense, is not allowed to make “forcible contact” with another player with the top or crown of their helmet (Domowitch). The attacking player must deal with the collision’s effects on their body including injuries to their neck, spinal column, and head. Their team will also have to deal with the penalties given by the league’s executive committee. Due to football’s violent nature, this rule will help to reduce the amount of concussions. Along with the revisions of safety rules, leagues should look into the mandation of safety equipment for their
Injuries are a common thing with any sport, but with the number of head injuries, you can't help to ask yourself "are football helmets safe enough?" According to New York Times,
There has been extraordinary improvements of helmets from the old leather to the modernized-plastic football helmets along with the face mask and energy- absorbent padding. In addition, the concern over preventing concussions, have led to helmet changes, impact testing methods and reconstruction of injuries during play helping to provide insight on concussions(4). Helmets have been successful in decreasing the risk of traumatic brain injuries, but there is much concern over concussion; therefore, scholars argue the importance of technology development to address concussion(5). As the author(s), David Viano and David Halstead discusses, there is room needed for understanding the types of collisions associated in youths and the impact condition addressing collisions. There are many variables to consider addressing concussion and where they occur.
American football has been around for over one hundred years, and along with the sport has been the need to provide proper safety for the players. An assortment of padding has been instituted in the game that protects against most blunt trauma including blows to the shoulders, mid section, and legs. In an attempt to prevent fracture of the skull, helmets were designed. However, studies have shown that helmets do little to nothing to prevent concussive damage to the brain. A polycarbonate shell is used as the outer housing for regulation football helmets, but along with this material, the materials used on the inside of the helmet are just as, if not more, important. The purpose of this report is to analyze the materials used in current football helmet design and the improvements being made in the field of materials science in order to combat the severe number of concussions suffered by NFL players.