Head Strong: Current changes in the Helmet.

Following up from last week's post about the dangers that come with contact sports, I will try to shed some light on one piece of gear that is undergoing the biggest changes of any. You will recall that the equipment of contact sports is continuing to evolve and advance to try and keep pace with the increase of injuries and their severity. Probably the most rapidly advancing and most studied piece of equipment is the helmet. All helmets, whether baseball, hockey, lacrosse or any other sport, are being analyzed to try and protect better. Currently the most studied helmet is the football helmet. Why is this equipment gaining the most attention? Simple, it protects the most important part of humans (the head/brain). Injury to this part of the body is nearly always the most dangerous. Even beyond helmets, sports like baseball are finding ways to protect the head through padded baseball caps (see link) (possible follow up post on this). You may further ask why football helmets get the most attention. Due to the higher likelihood of contact to the head, the more severe force that contacts the head and the growing dangers to these players, these helmets are being put to the test the most. When looking at the big picture, however, advancement in one will probably carry over to the other.The main goal is to protect players of all sports from concussions and other head (possibly neck) injuries. This has become even more of an issue as the question of keeping these sports around due to their dangers has arisen more often. These sports draw in so much revenue that it is no surprise that so much money is going into development of better gear, so as to protect the sports.

The helmet has advanced over the years from leather shells at the beginning, to simple hard plastic shells on to the more recent polycarbonate and padding combinations to line the head. One of the most looked at pieces of helmets is the padding inside the hard shell. This not only has to fit reasonably to the player but must provide cushion for the blow as well as stability to resist it. The padding must resist constant minimal blows as well as massive sudden ones. On top of that, the padding needs to not wear down over months of use. Constant research is being done on different materials that may be used inside these helmets. Several different foams and pads are currently being used and studied such as urethane or thermoplastic for shock absorbency. The other aspect is not just the padding but the design. Currently helical rows of these paddings lined with foam/air filled sacs are the most popular in stability and comfort. The idea is like a stress ball that you can give small or large force and it breaks the immediate impact as well as cushions on the further impact. Keeping the head from jolting is also an improvement in these helmets.

Other companies are taking another approach to protection. Schools such as Virginia Tech are utilizing helmets with several hundred sensors that provide readings of any jerks or blows that may be dangerous. The testing as well that is done on all helmets is extreme and in depth to make sure they are suitable. Research is ongoing in trying to find better materials to protect players and the advancements that have been given so far are a crucial step, however some serious advancements are still needed to stop the talk of getting rid of these contact sports.     

Follow up blog: CTE: what it means to all athletes who sustain head trauma

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/27/sports/football/27helmets.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

Padded baseball caps http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/8755180/pitchers-try-mlb-examined-padded-caps