Concussions are one of the leading sports injuries and have more than doubled in the past ten years. This arising health crisis is complicated by the lack of understanding of concussions as well as lack of medical devices capable of diagnosising brain injuries such as concussions. 

 

There is a need for methods of

prevention, detection, and diagnosis

of concussions during sporting events.

 

What causes concussions?

Concussions are caused by impact to the head, neck, and upper body that can occur from a number of scenarios including head-to-head contact, head-to-ground contact, non-head contact such as whiplash. When the head and/or neck is forcefully hit, the cerebral spinal fluid, which functions as a cushion between the brain and skull, ineffectively functions causing the brain to hit the skull. The symptoms of concussions range from severe including loss of memory, nausea and dizziness to non-symptomatic.

 

How are concussions diagnosed?

The difficulty with concussions is they are usually difficult to diagnosis and unrecognizable in a CT, MRI and PET scans. Athletic Trainers can only make informative decisions on the diagnosis of a concussion based on regulations by athletic association,such as the NCAA. 

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Are there devices out there that aid in the diagnosing of concussions?

There are a few devices on the market that aid in the diagnosis of head injuries including Riddell's Revolution IQ HITS Helmet.

 

The Problem: helmets are worn by athletes to protect the skull against fracture, the helmets have little function in protecting the brain against impact from rotational and blunt forces to the side of head. Helmets are also only worn during certain sports. 

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