Jim Nantz on Concussions

[Yakuza Rich]

I don't think heading the ball gives them concussions. When you go up for a header, particularly on a corner kick, usually there are others trying to head the be ball as well and they can knock heads. Then you have to worry about falling down on your head. And women's skulls are not as strong and male skulls.





YR

[CashMan]

Originally Posted by Kristen82

Serious stuff. Concussions might be a risk factor for Alzheimer's among other things via the pathogenic tau protein. There must be a way to fortify the structure of helmets.

http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla...ge-242445.aspx

No amount of restructuring or redesigning is going to stop your brain from hitting the inside of your head. Helmet design is going to go so far. It is kinda like tanker trucks, if they drive at a high speed and stop, the liquid in the tanks still moves. Add a solid piece of matter inside those tanks, and it will hit the walls of the tanks.

[InmanRoshi]

I think that heading the ball could lead to brain damage over the long term for professional soccer players, as I think we're starting to find that it's repetitive hits to the head is the biggest factor for dementia pugilistica and the collective buildup of myloid plaque that causes Parkinsons and Alzheimers. I think they're finding that the most dangerous aspects of boxing are the hundreds of hours professional boxers spend sparring, even with protetective head gear, rather than the one devestating knockout blow in center ring in front of TV cameras. I remember reading one time that they put a radar gun on some Brazilian players and some of their kicks were flying at around 60-70 mph. I don't think velocity with a regulation ball weighing roughly 1.+ lbs. would be an insignificant impact to the head, especially if taken repeatedly in practice and games.

[ABQCOWBOY]

Originally Posted by burmafrd

did not know the ball was that hard

It's not the ball. It's those female soccer players.

[Hoofbite]

Originally Posted by CashMan

No amount of restructuring or redesigning is going to stop your brain from hitting the inside of your head. Helmet design is going to go so far. It is kinda like tanker trucks, if they drive at a high speed and stop, the liquid in the tanks still moves. Add a solid piece of matter inside those tanks, and it will hit the walls of the tanks.

I don't disagree with the movement of the brain being in play but I do think there has to be some influence on direct impact.

Certainly there are concussions that have occurred from high force impact where the head hasn't really moved at all. Brandon McCarthy of the As took that liner right off the side of his head and it did serious damage without his head moving that much at all. Granted it's a little different and the force applied on contact is condensed into a single spot. This hit was pretty substantial and fractured his skull but I don't think it's unreasonable to look at this and wonder if a lesser blow that didn't cause a fracture would result in a concussion.

Can you stop the concussions from the brain rattling around? I dunno, you'd have to find a way to decelerate the entire head I would think. Probably not.

But that doesn't mean that research should be stopped on looking at other ways. If you could reduce the frequency of concussions (even by a small amount) by lessening direct impact, that seems like a good start to me.

[Muhast]

I think the concussion issue is two fold. Past playerd had less technology in thr helmets and went back into games which caused a lot of the serious injuries afterwards.

Secondly current players with the new helmets are not wearing equipment that fits properly. Way to often do you see a players helmet fly off after a hit. The helmet should be so tight that it makes a mark on your forehead to help your head from jarring in the helmet. Also the chipstraps are way to lose. You shouldn't be able to easily slide your helmet on and off, if you can it us too lose.

[Hoofbite]

Originally Posted by Muhast

I think the concussion issue is two fold. Past playerd had less technology in thr helmets and went back into games which caused a lot of the serious injuries afterwards.

Secondly current players with the new helmets are not wearing equipment that fits properly. Way to often do you see a players helmet fly off after a hit. The helmet should be so tight that it makes a mark on your forehead to help your head from jarring in the helmet. Also the chipstraps are way to lose. You shouldn't be able to easily slide your helmet on and off, if you can it us too lose.

I've thought the same thing regarding the equipment.

I remember MBIII's helmet coming off quite a bit even with that big old lump of dreads. How loose does that have to be? Almost like having two heads in that helmet and it's not really staying on at all. I think the NFL should look at helmets and how they are worn and maybe even go as far as requiring a fit even if that means cutting your hair.

Here's the article I was referencing above about companies trying "mimic the brains' own environment", as they call it.

http://issuu.com/mipshelmet/docs/popsci_mips_2012_2/1

Here's a video about the versions of it that have been used in mountain biking. I think they also make helmets for MotoX and some other sports.

I think it looks interesting but the results are likely exaggerated a bit.