Data Show Hard Hits to Youth Helmets
An F-16 pilot may "pull" 9 g while maneuvering at 45,000 feet; a race car driver might feel 5 g in the second it takes to go from zero to 100 miles per hour.
According to new data, 7- and 8-year-olds are taking helmet hits in the range of 50-70 g in some cases, greater than those experienced by college football players.
G-forces are the measurement of a force acting on a body as a result of acceleration or gravity. In layman's terms, the higher the g-force, the greater the impact.
In the first study of its kind, researchers at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University installed accelerometers inside the helmets of several youth players on the Auburn Eagles team in Montgomery County, Virginia.
“We’re finding that, surprisingly, these kids are getting hit harder than we originally thought,” said Ray Daniel, a doctoral student in biomedical engineering at the university.
“In terms of measurements, these kids are seeing around 30 to 50 g, and the average impact for a college player is about 26 g. We didn’t exactly expect to see 7- and 8-year-olds get college-level hits,” according to Medill Reports.
"Because the study began this fall, Daniel said it’s too early to determine precisely what impact is too great for a child to bear, particularly given that each player has a different threshold. However, he said researchers have found no data suggesting the Eagles are at concussion-level impact."
Measurements including direction and magnitude of the impacts are transmitted wirelessly to a sideline system staffed by researchers. The study will continue until the end of the team's season. Formal results are scheduled to be published in the spring of 2012.
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Football Player Dies in NY; Autopsy Complete
UPDATE: Ridge Barden, 16, a high school football player in upstate New York, died Friday night after suffering a head injury during a game. His father Jody said autopsy results indicate his son died of a cerebral hemorrhage. He said the coroner's report did not find any other damage to his head, according to the New York Times.
"...after two years on the junior varsity, the junior Barden got his chance: Friday, the team’s final game of the regular season, was Barden’s first career start at the varsity level.
'He was definitely excited about that, that the coaches finally were giving him his first start,' Jody Barden said. 'I remember he told me ‘I’m going to start and play the whole game as long as I don’t make any mistakes.'
How could a ceremonious moment turn to terrible? How could a 6-foot-1, 235-pound teenager — a seemingly healthy 16-year-old with no previous head injury history — be lost on what appeared a harmless football play?" asked the New York Times.
"'The coaches and trainers went over. He was talking. He rolled on his back by himself,” said Phoenix School District Superintendent Judy Belfield. The boy was able to sit up after the play, but he complained of a very bad headache and collapsed when he tried to stand, she said.
An ambulance took him to a hospital, and he was being transferred to a larger medical center in Syracuse when his condition deteriorated, Belfield said. The ambulance turned around, but doctors were unable to save the student’s life," according to the Washington Post.
All Phoenix School District football helmets are reconditioned every year, Belfield said.
New York's concussion law, signed by Governor Cuomo in September, 2011, takes effect in July 2012.
Full story New York Times 10/16/11
Full story Washington Post 10/15/11
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Hospitals Put Athletic Trainers on the Field
Idaho Football Player Has Brain Surgery
At the end of September, Bobby Clark was enjoying high school football in northern Idaho. Today, he is at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane, Washington, fighting for his life after suffering a brain injury during a game. This is Bobby's Story from his CaringBridge.org page:
"Bobby Clark, Priest River Spartan #52, was injured Sept. 30, 2011 in a home football game. We don't know exactly what happened, only that it DID happen in that game, and not prior. He has been in a coma since he collapsed coming off the field, and it is NOT medically induced. He was airlifted to Sacred Heart Medical Center, and underwent emergency surgery to relieve the pressure on his brain. He is fighting hard, but he has a very, very long road ahead of him, and we are hoping with all we have that he is going to get better. All we can do is wait and hope."
According to KXLY.com, nine of the forty-three football players on the Priest River Lamanna High School football team have been sidelined with concussions so far this season. For some, the timetable for return is unknown. The Junior Varsity football team has had to cancel this week's game due to a shortage of healthy players. Superintendent Michael McGuire says there's not enough funding to purchase new helmets for all players, but one-third are reconditioned every year. He told KXLY.com if the problem persists, future games may be cancelled.
Clark's latest MRI showed some improvement, and he remains sedated under a cooling blanket, according to his mother's journal on CaringBridge.org.
Sign Bobby Clarks' Guestbook at CaringBridge.org
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