Helmets
NASA developed shock absorbent foams to prevent negative effects of g-forces on astronauts. The material used to make these helmets can be found medical beds, footwear, fighter jets and furniture. There are many types of helmets such as bicycle helmets, motorcycle helmets, full face motorcycle helmets, open face helmets, dirt bike or motor cross helmets, skateboarding helmet, corrective helmet, football helmet and many more. Those helmets come in different sizes, designs, styles, materials, as well as purposes. The bicycle helmet is made up of a hard outer shell and foam pads inside. Because cycling is a sport that increases heart rate and body temperature, bicycling helmets allows our body heat to escape. The bicycling helmet is designed to transfer the force upon the head to crushing the foam liner. There are many types of motorcycling helmets too! Motorcycling helmets are designed to protect the rider from speeds faster than bicyclists. Even though it looks different from a bike helmet, the basic design is similar but there’s harder outer shell, more complex padding and it’s thicker. The full-face motorcycle helmet is designed for high-speed protection. There are many advantages of this helmet because there’s a face shield, which keeps us safe from road debris and dust. The open face helmet protects the top, back and side of our head. The main advantage of this helmet is that it allows great visibility and comfort. We can also experience the rushing wind as we ride but it’s more dangerous because if we crash, it could also harm with the ground or objects as well as being scraped along the road as our body comes to a stop. There’s a visor and an extended chin area in a dirt bike or motor cross helmet so it does not feel...
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...daches, nausea and more. National Institutes of Health counts 1 million concussions per year in the United States.
“Use your head! Use your helmet!” Helmets does not only improve people’s lives but it saves people’s lives. When we crash our bikes, the amount of damage we receive is divided into 2: how fast we stop and how concentrated the force is. Without helmets, our heads then experience an incredible amount of concentrated force. Our skull is less likely to be broken. The foam in the helmet compresses which allows our head to come to a stop much slower since it reduces the acceleration. Force = mass x acceleration so it reduces the force. Helmets absorb some of the impact of collisions and it also protects our head against scrapes and scratches. Scientists study dead athletes to study about helmets to discover something new that could improve people’s lives.
By this it means it allows for less “cracked skulls”, scars, wounds and so on. It gives a stronger protection on the softer part of the skull which is more prone to damage... ... middle of paper ... ... arch 2014]. ASTM Sports Headgear and Helmets Standards.
For instance, a concussion occurs when an outside force causes the brain to move violently back and forth and hit the wall of the skull. Concussions result in loss of consciousness, confusion, headaches, nausea or vomiting, and blurred vision. The damaged caused by concussions is permanent, and there is no cure for it. Usually, the only remedy prescribed by doctors is at least two weeks of rest before resuming sports and similar activities. A concussion usually occurs when players collide violently into each other at high speeds. In his article“The Helmet Wars,” Tom Foster points out that “Professional football players receive as many as 1,500 hits to the head in a single season, depending on their position. That’s 15,000 in a 10-year playing career,
("N.F.L. Players’ Union Weighs the Benefits and the Pitfalls of Helmet Sensors. This technology helps prevent a player with a concussion that he doesn’t know about from continuing to play during that game and cause more damage to his head that can last forever. Another good advancement is helmets that have a design that uses energy-managing materials and a facemask attachment system that disperses energy from frontal impacts. This helps prevent the head from taking the main part of the blow and disperses the energy to lessen the likelihood of becoming seriously injured from a hit. These types of helmets have a certain shelf life meaning you can only use them for so many years before they have to be replaced, this is beneficial so that the equipment stays up to the new standards of safety for the players as well as prevents them from becoming stressed over the years and breaking.
Think of all the times you’ve bumped your head, hit your head or got hit during a sport. Now think, was I hit too hard? Did I do anything about it or did I just continue on with my life? Maybe you had a headache, maybe you felt fine. Maybe you felt a little out of it, maybe you didn’t. Now, imagine that you kept a tally of every time you got hit on the head for your whole life until
5. Dr. Margret Brooks says ““because the brain is floating freely inside the skull, I think most experts doubt whether it is possible to ever develop a helmet design that can prevent concussion.” (Healy, 2014)
In conclusion, head injuries are serious business and should always be treated as if it could be fatal. New information and products are being made to help curb the increasing amount of concussions. Even though the number of concussions have increased over the years, there have been steps that are being made to cut down on the number of injuries. Concussions can be potentially be fatal and can have many side effects, both now and later in life. Such side effects can include headaches, inattention, loss of short-term and long-term memory, loss of motor skills, and even disturbances in sleep. It cannot be stressed enough to not shrug off any type of injuries, especially a concussion.
One statistic that I’ve heard, but have been unable to find everywhere, is that a helmet will help save you a concussion attributable to influences up to thirteen mph. Over 13 mph, a shock can nevertheless arise.
Helmets drastically reduce the tremendous number of deaths caused by head injuries as well as reducing the severity of any ...
High impact sports such as hockey and football are extremely dangerous. People who suffer from concussions can be affected by brain damage. Concussions are often called an "invisible injury", this is because you can not see the injury on the outside of the body. Side effects from a concussion can include; headaches, change in sleep patterns, dizziness, nausea, blurred vision, loss of consciousness, depression, mood swings, memory loss, loss of concentration, and a slowed reaction time. (Virginia Board of Education Guidelines
His lab at Stanford focuses on understanding and preventing head injuries. Camarillo suggests that there is a certain amount of time it takes for the force of impact to disrupt the central wiring of our brain. He also claims that "If we can slow the head down just enough so that the brain does not lag behind the skull but instead it moves in synchrony with the skull, then we might be able to prevent this mechanism of a concussion." (Camarillo). While this is very good news, the question is how to come about this information and use it to create a helmet that can do this. Camarillo is currently working with a Swedish company to create a better helmet. Although the US will not see one for a while, it can bring about some hope for the
Even though the advantages of the helmet designs are extensive, the football players are put in dangerous and sometimes unexpected situations on the field. Players are running and hitting each other at full speed while not taking into consideration what they are doing, and considering the consequences. Sometimes with head related injuries, these players may not feel any symptoms until later on in the day, or even day...
Concussions and the effect they have on people ranging from the young to the old has become a very popular discussion in recent years. Generally people watch sports for entertainment and then there are those who engage in high impact sports from a very young age on. The people at home know how fun playing in a sport is, however they may not know the brutal consequences for some participating in that sport. Injuries to the brain are a main concern among those in the world of high impact sports. Football, soccer, wrestling, lacrosse, and rugby are among sports that athletes receive injuries in. The injuries vary from sprains, to fractures, to torn MCL or ACL, and bruised organs. Concussions are a severe type of injury endured by athletes in the sports world and this life changing injury is one that people are becoming more aware of.
While the use of helmets does aid in protecting players from brain trauma, they also increase the risky behavior of players; this is called risk compensation. Risk compensation is the adjustment of individual behavior, responding to the perceived changes in risk (TheFreeDictionary.com). Most people that wear helmets have a pre-conceived idea that, because they have a helmet on, they can possess more daring behaviors and be fine. The helmet is basically thought of as a tool to hit harder, or improve performance in today’s culture. Adventure writer and pilot, Lane Wallace (2011) accurately understands the dangers of helmets being used incorrectly, and how they are used as weapons instead of safety. Wallace also theorizes like the NFL, a change in football culture and of viewpoints towards helmets would vastly reduce trauma to the
Whether it’s a concussions or a hematoma, athletes should be wearing the proper gear. This gear will help prevent further injuries and may save their life. For anything facial related such as eye laserations, hyphema, or any oral injury, protective face guards should be used. Face masks/guards and mouth guards will help protect the face. To protect from head injuries, proper helmets should be worn.
1. Studies have shown that wearing a helmet can reduce your chances of head injury by 85%