The Head Blows Count; Using Technology to Determine Head Hits (Head Impact Sensor)
The brain is the most delicate organ with the body as it controls other organs and part of the body in fact, we could call the Central processing unit (CPU) for the body if compared to a computer. As delicate as the brain is, humans cannot do without having fun by doing some sports like hockey and football (American football), I am sure a lot of us love to watch this sports. Although, athletes that play this game tend to make a very good pay, they tend to suffer from serious brain injuries at the near end to their carriers. This injuries vary from Concussions, to dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).
pinterest
Unlike humans, animals like big horn sheep, wood peckers and goats can withstand serious hit with no brain damage while fighting themselves because their brains are well protected against impact. For wood peckers, they have a thick neck muscle and a strong beak which often serves as an absorber against hits also, woodpeckers possess long tongue that compresses the veins of the neck which is responsible for transporting blood from the brain at such, there is more blood surrounding the brain which in-turn serves as a cushion between the brain and the skull thereby serving as a protection for the brain. At the same time, the big horn sheep and rams have flexible horns that can absorb shocks from collision, and also they have a mechanism that prevents blood from flowing from the head to the body thereby allowing blood to serve as a protection for the brain.
Since humans do not have a beak or a horn to protect ourselves against heat, then how do we play games like hockey and football? Players use preventive helmet which helps to a reasonable extent but isn’t completely secured as most players are believed to end up with a brain damage or the other thereby spending their accumulated wealth on health.
Most reported cases of brain damage and brain related sicknesses like concussion are often reported are critical because most athletes do not know they already started having symptoms of it. Actually, a quick discovery of concussion in athlete and preventing them from further hits often make the brain heal up sooner but most of the athletes do not know they already have this but simple checkup after a serious hit could help and that is where the head impact sensor comes in.
Technology Always Comes to the Rescue
Just like car Airbags do not prevent accidents or determine the level of injury in an accident so does the head impact sensors do not determine if a person has brain injury due to hit or prevent hits but rather, it determine the amount, severity and intensity of hits received by the head. The head impact sensor is designed to measure hits based on earth gravity force while some comes with a light indicator in cases of severe hits.
Brain injuries occur as a result of direct or indirect hits and blows on the head severally without proper healing from the previous hit or blow. With the use of head impact sensors attached to the skin or helmet of athletes, the total number of severe hits can be read, also in cases where hits have gone beyond threshold limits indicated by the sensor, the athlete could be removed from the game and taken for checkups to prevent any damage to the brain.
The sensor does not determine if an athlete has a brain injury, rather it helps prevent athletes from having one by going for proper checks when the sensor give warning of too many hits as well as force. With the head impact sensors, athletes as well as parents who do not know when a child has a brain injury could easily see a doctor after seeing the number of impacts on the head as well as how much energy and force was transferred during the hit.
Although the head impact sensor doesn’t measure concussions as well as it doesn’t determine if a person has brain injuries, rather it is useful to determine the number, force and energy due to an impact or hit on the head and at such serves as a preventive measure for concussion.