The American Football Helmet and Concussions

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The American Football Helmet and Concussions

• John Krauss

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Overview
Football accounts for the most sports-related
concussions in the United States.
The National Operating Committee on Standards for
Athletic Equipment (NOCSAE)
Ruling Change in 1975 prohibiting players from
leading with their heads.
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Forces At Work
F mStrikingaStrikingFN F mStruckaStruck
SI ?a(t)2.5dt
The resulting SI score has to be below 1200 in
order for a helmet to pass the safety test.
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Concussions
One of the dangers associated with concussions
is that after receiving one, a player is more
susceptible to further trauma for up to 14 days.
Tendency of concussions to show no pathological
changes on standard MRI and CT scans.
After the initial trauma, there is a marked
decrease in blood to the affected area of the
brain.
Two areas of the brain that show susceptibility
to trauma are the frontal and temporal lobes.
Multiple traumatic brain injuries can lead to
severe long term health effects and can become
fatal
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Sources

• CONCUSSION IN PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALLRECONSTRUCTIO
  N OF GAME IMPACTS AND INJURIESElliot J. Pellman,
  M.D.David C. Viano, Dr. med.,Ph.D. Andrew M.
  Tucker, M.D. Ira R. Casson, M.D. Joe F.
  Waeckerle, M.D. Bloomfield Hills, MI 48304-2952.
  2003
• ANALYSIS AND EVOLUTION OF HEAD INJURYIN
  FOOTBALL Michael L. Levy, M.D., Burak M Ozgur,
  M.D, Cherisse Berry, B.S, Henry E. Aryan, M.D,
  Michael L.J. Apuzzo, M.D, February 23, 2004.
  Neurosurgery 55649-655, 2004
• Birth and Evolution of the Football
  helmetMichael L. Levy, M.D., Burak M Ozgur,
  M.D, Cherisse Berry, B.S, Henry E. Aryan, M.D,
  Michael L.J. Apuzzo, M.D, February 23, 2004.
  VOLUME 55 NUMBER 3 SEPTEMBER 2004
  www.neurosurgery-online.com
• Concussion In Professional Football Biomechanics
  of Struck Player, David Viano, M.D, Ph.D, Ira
  Casson, M.D., Elliot Pellman, M.D. VOLUME 61
  NUMBER 2 AUGUST 2007 www.neurosurgery-online.com