Lab dummies, martial artists and boxers used in the study
Two new studies are being conducted by the Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University under the name of the Cleveland Traumatic Neuromechanics Consortium. The purpose of the studies is to prevent head and neck injuries and to develop better treatments.
“There are many more questions than answers about brain injuries,” said Adam Bartsch of the clinic’s Head, Neck, and Spine Research Laboratory. What researchers want to know is what level of force or number of repeated impacts causes temporary or permanent brain damage.
The first part of the study will focus on the testing of football helmets using dummies that are rammed by an air powered device under under various conditions that mimic real life impacts. Researchers hope to learn what can be done to helmets to improve impact absorption and protect the skull. The second part of the study involves studying up to 600 mixed martial arts fighters and boxers over a four-year period.
Source: Research Hopes To Curb Head, Neck Injuries In Athletes; Insurance Journal, April 2, 2012