A
few players on the Giants will be wearing the new
ION 4D Helmet this Sunday:
"According to the company that makes it, the helmet features a unique design that reduces the risk of concussions... if you look closely at the helmets of the four players on the Giants, offensive linemen David Diehl, Grey Ruegamer and Guy Whimper and long snapper Jay Alford, you'll notice that their helmet looks different than those of their teammates."
Perhaps more interesting is the
Riddell Revolution IQ HITS, with:
"Head Impact Telemetry System (HITS™): On-board electronics record every impact, allowing players to upload and evaluate each occurrence on their home computers.... also provides the guidance necessary to understand and address a suspect impact if it is detected."
Researchers are using this helmet to relate the physics of the collision and incidence of concussion:
"Players who look like they have been hit really hard aren't necessarily the ones who will sustain the most brain damage, said Kevin Guskiewicz, professor of exercise and sport science and director of the Sports Medicine Research Laboratory at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. "There's no relationship between the magnitude of the impact and the clinical outcome"
Other findings showed that a single knock to the head at an impact greater than 90g doesn't always result in immediate concussion symptoms, such as headache, nausea, blurred vision or ringing in the ears. In fact, location, not necessarily force, seemed to play a significant role in brain injury. Six out of 13 players that sustained a concussion had experienced impacts at the top of the their head, as opposed to the side."
