geldefender^® Blog

Two running backs played through possible concussions last week, but the NFL says no protocols were breached.

Arian Foster of the Houston Texans suffered a blow to the head and, as the medical team was preparing to examine him, left the bench and put himself back into the game. Two plays later, he was taken off and underwent an evaluation in the locker room and was cleared to go back in.

Bernard Pierce of the Jacksonville Jaguars was injured and then tried to block instead of tackle on the punt unit, but nobody noticed symptoms of head injury until after the game. The next day, it was announced that he was undergoing the concussion protocol, and the team staff found two plays on the game tape that could have been the cause.

The NFL says that both teams handled the situations correctly, and perhaps they did as well as they could have under the circumstances. But one player ignoring the possibility of a concussion and another being injured without anybody realizing show just how far we have to go in pursuit of head safety in sports.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Boxing is responsible for more concussions than any other sport at the US Military Academy at West Point, according to a recent New York Times article.

One out of every five concussions at West Point is attributed to boxing – and one out of every four at the Air Force Academy and the Naval Academy.

At both West Point and the Air Force Academy, boxing is a required class for the freshman male cadets, and at the Naval Academy it is required for both genders. The tradition began decades ago, and “plebe boxing” is now considered something of a rite of passage.

Despite the worrisome concussion statistics, the schools are reluctant to consider eliminating the requirement. Boxing provides a (comparatively) safe way to teach cadets how to face an enemy and helps them to develop the courage and fortitude necessary for combat.

Not that the dangerous nature of concussion has gone entirely unheeded: In recent years at West Point, rules requiring more protective padding and limiting the number of hits per round have been implemented, and each class and test bout is now followed by a short talk telling students to report to the health clinic if they’re experiencing symptoms.

The Board of Visitors is searching for an alternative that doesn’t endanger the head, though none has been agreed upon yet. Perhaps if such a solution can be found, in the future more cadets will be able to graduate and enter military service concussion-free.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Skip Schumaker of the Cincinnati Reds has had plenty of excitement during his 12-year MLB career.

He’s played for three of baseball’s most historic teams: the St. Louis Cardinals (he was there when they won the 2011 World Series), the Los Angeles Dodgers, and now the Reds.

In that time, he has also been on the field for two harrowing incidents.

Schumaker was playing second base for the Cardinals in 2010 when his good friend, pitcher Blake Hawksworth, was smacked in the face by a line drive that earned Hawksworth 20 stitches.

Four years later, when Schumaker was playing for the Reds in a spring training game, his teammate Aroldis Chapman took a shot to the head that fractured his skull.

So when his 7-year-old son Brody moved up to a traveling baseball league in southern California, Schumaker researched head protection. “I came across the GelDefender,” Schumaker said. “My son loves it, and I make it mandatory that he and his teammates wear one.”

Father and son Schumakers: Skip Schumaker is completing his 12th year in the Majors. His 7-year-old son, Brody, and Brody's teammates are playing it safer in California with GelDefender skull caps.

Schumaker’s insistence on protection is welcomed by Brody’s coach — coincidentally, the now-retired Blake Hawksworth.

“I’ve never understood why you have to wear a cup, but nothing to protect your head,” added Schumaker in a Facebook post. “Finally a company has developed a product that fits the head and you can’t even tell that the player is wearing it.”

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Following Week 2 of the NFL season, 15 percent of its players have suffered injuries, according to reports.

Going into the week, 234 players were already out with injuries (12 of them concussions) from the preseason and Week 1, and another 16 were removed from play with injuries over the weekend. The numbers, unfortunately, are consistent with past seasons, despite several new rule changes the league made in March to reduce the number of injuries.

The NFL claims that its efforts over the last several years have had an impact on the number of concussions, but there’s no denying that the sport is dangerous for its players’ heads. It was recently reported that 95.6 percent of the NFL players who have been tested postmortem for CTE had the disease. Time will tell how much of an affect the league’s measures and the players’ awareness are having on that statistic.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

The NFL left Week 1 of play with no less than nine concussions to show for it, according to Forbes.

The 2015 season has begun, and with it the forever-growing list of NFL head injury victims. Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly made a tackle with his head and collapsed. Miami Dolphins tight end Dion Sims attempted a diving catch and was knocked unconscious. Cleveland Browns quarterback Josh McCown was hit midair in the head and then fumbled the ball. St. Louis Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson began experiencing symptoms and, to his credit, took himself out of the game. And that was all before half-time.

The number of first-week concussions in the NFL has risen over the past few years, but that fact could be attributed to greater awareness and reporting among the players and coaches, rather than an actual increase. And while more teams following correct protocols is a good thing, nine concussions in one week is cringe-worthy. Let’s hope it’s not a trend for the rest of the season and that the NFL will find better ways to play it safer soon.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

Wisconsin safety Mike Caputo left Saturday’s game against Alabama after suffering a head injury early in the first quarter and then lining up on the wrong side of the line of scrimmage.

His confusion was an obvious sign of possible head injury, and Wisconsin removed him for evaluation. Shortly thereafter, the team announced that he would not be returning to the field. Alabama went on to beat Wisconsin 35-17.

Caputo is a key player in the Wisconsin defense, and his removal could not have been easy for the team. Kudos to Wisconsin for, despite that, identifying the problem and then putting Caputo’s health first by removing him from play.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

The trailer for the new movie Concussion was released this week, and the 2-minute clip is already making waves across the head injury landscape (not to mention pro football’s landscape).

Will Smith will star as Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who linked Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy to head injuries in football after conducting autopsies on the brains of several NFL players. The movie, which hits theaters on Christmas Day, will tell the story of his struggle to warn athletes and the public of the dangers despite the NFL’s refusal to acknowledge those dangers or Omalu’s work. The film is based on a 2009 GQ article called “Concussions in the NFL.”

The ramifications for the NFL, which is not depicted in a flattering light to say the least, could be severe. Though it’s unclear what the fallout will be, the organization is in for some rough waters come December 25.

On the other hand, the film will go a long way toward throwing the spotlight on concussion issues for the general public. It will humanize a rather clinical issue to a broader audience, reviving head injury dialogue on a grand scale. If the stir caused by the trailer is any indication, the movie itself will push sports head safety awareness to an all-time high.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

New York Yankees’ starting pitcher Bryan Mitchell was hit in the head Monday during a game against the Minnesota Twins.

The Twins’ Eduardo Nunez fired a lined shot back at Mitchell, and the ball hit his nose. Luckily, it was deflected slightly by the bill of his hat, but he still walked away with a broken nose and is on the seven-day concussion disabled list. He said he never saw the ball.

The team is hopeful that he’ll be ready to return to the mound as soon as his time on the DL is up, but given that it’s the rookie 24-year-old’s second concussion in a month’s time, it may be wiser to give him more time for recovery. Re-entering before his brain is ready could be detrimental to his health down the road.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

A new way to diagnose head injuries using biomarkers in the blood may be able to predict how long victims will suffer from the symptoms, according to a new study.

Dr. Frederick Korley of John’s Hopkins School of Medicine explained in an interview that currently the only way to test for traumatic brain injuries (aside from subjective neurological assessments as found in most sideline exams) is a CT scan. However, CT scans can only show bleeding on the brain, an important function of course. But about 90% of patients with head injuries have no bleeding but do have damage to brain cells.

But Korley has developed a way to evaluate head injuries based on the levels of a protein called brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the blood. Though right now there is no FDA-approved blood test for brain injury diagnosis, this could be a significant step toward that goal. If it does become an approved tool, we could soon be seeing more precise and better treatment for head injury victims.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.

While concussion reform has been sweeping other sports, very little attention has been given to sailing head injuries. A recent article out of MIT may be the beginning of change, though.

According to Sailing Master Franny Charles, head injuries were the most frequent injury for which MIT’s sailing team sought medical help. The resulting functional problems were affecting the members’ schoolwork, even forcing some to leave the school entirely.

Because over 3,000 MIT students sail actively every year (either competitively or recreationally), the school took steps to reduce the risks. The swinging booms on the fleet were replaced with lighter carbon booms, and all new boats purchased have a higher rig by four inches. In addition, all sailors are required to wear helmets.

As a result of these simple measures, the students’ head injuries have all but ended.

Charles believes that similar actions by leaders in the sport (boat designers, organizers, etc.) could be a significant step toward protecting sailors on a larger scale. Perhaps with better awareness toward the dangers, sailing will see a similar transformation to other sports and be safer for heads in the future.

*Scientists have no conclusive evidence as to whether or how the reduction of g-forces during impacts reduces the number or degree of concussions and head injuries. GelDefender products provide supplemental padding as well as cooling and comfort benefits when used with helmets and caps. Participants in activities in which head impacts can occur should always use tested and approved helmets for protection. However, no helmet or supplemental padding can protect the user from all serious head or neck injuries that can result from impacts.