Mouth Guards and Chin Straps to Predict Concussion Risk in Real-Time?
We’ve written about the high incidence of debilitating concussions related to sports like football and ice hockey on this blog before. We could easily write about other sports that can injure your head, like boxing or skiing. Many people debate what the best way to deal with sports-related brain injuries might be. One of the biggest problems is the inadequacy of real-time knowledge about the severity of the injury, which can lead to reinjury and worse outcomes for the affected player.
A few interesting products are being bandied about to try and solve this problem. A newly designed chin strap promises to measure impact and indicate probability of concussion with a colored LED light, but many are skeptical that the chin is a good predictor of brain impact. And researchers at the Cleveland Clinic have been busy making prototypes of athletic mouth guards that do roughly the same thing, albeit in a more sophisticated manner. While this field is obviously still in its infancy, it’s interesting to see innovators putting their minds to this problem and coming up with creative approaches to try and solve it.
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Posted: Neuroscience, Odds and Ends
Posit Science's corporate blog is the place where our employees share their thoughts about Posit Science and its products, brain fitness, breakthroughs in neuroscience, and any other topic they find interesting and relevant. 
June 30th, 2011 at 11:29 pm
Indycar has used earpieces to accurately predict head trauma since 2003. This is not a laboratory experiment, but has been and is in active use. If racing can do it, other sports can figure it out.
http://indycar.com/tech/content/34115-earpiece/
July 1st, 2011 at 4:32 am
These gadgets show a need to support the jaw and protect from concussive forces. They are not designed to to this. The gold standard of oral protection is a customized mandibular orthotic appliance already proven in NFL use. They specifically adapted to the individual unique physiology to receive such chin related forces. http://www.mahercor.com has peer reviewed published data, unlike most of these other gimmicks.
July 1st, 2011 at 9:16 am
Brad and Steve- Great to know, thanks so much for sharing! Will look into those.
July 1st, 2011 at 2:56 pm
Steve – I completely agree with you about the need for proper mouthguards. There have been quite a few advances but even the best ones will be overstressed strong enough concussive forces. The force vectors will still reach the cranium (brain injured with a good smile?) Also, we must take into consideration the lateral forces that affect the TMJ and the cranial nerve nuclei in close proximity. My personal opinion is that these indicators really beg the issue and proper training og the coaches, ATCs and the docs an the sideline is imperative so they isn’t a delay in obtaing treatment and entering physical and cognitive treatment / rehab.
Hi-tech is great in the treatment and rehab arena but still leaves a lot to be desired for sideline evaluation.
September 2nd, 2011 at 4:13 am
PACMAN FOREVER!