APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING NECK INJURY, SPINAL CORD INJURY AND CONCUSSION
An apparatus for preventing neck injury, spinal cord injury and concussion is disclosed. The apparatus includes a helmet, a body harness and a plurality of anchor assemblies connecting the helmet to the body harness. The anchor assemblies are adjusted to limit the cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension ranges of motion of a wearer to a predetermined set point, each anchor assembly including a plurality of guide members extending from the helmet to an anchor of the anchor assembly, the plurality of guide members being attached to the anchor.
The present invention is directed to a device for preventing neck injury, spinal cord injury and concussion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONA common problem faced in today's amateur and professional sports, particularly in contact sports such as hockey, football and lacrosse, is the issue of neck injury, spinal cord injury and concussion. Concussion can be caused by direct contact to the head, but also as a result of acceleration forces, both linear and rotational, to the neck and head. These forces may be experienced during a body check or tackle even without direct contact to the head. The effect of the force during such an event results in movement of the brain against the skull that causes disruption of cell function. Concussions can also occur from rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension of the spinal cord, brain stem and blood vessels located in the upper cervical area around the C1/C2 vertebral motor unit, which can occur during impact of a body check or tackle in which a resultant whipping of the neck and head happens much like that in a motor vehicle accident. In either case, concussions result in altered brain function that may last for days, months or even years, and can also lead to depression and early onset dementia.
To reduce the risk of concussions and spinal cord injuries, participants in contact sports, such as football, field hockey, lacrosse and ice hockey, wear protective helmets to shield the head and skull area from impact injuries. Helmet technology has sought to address problems with concussions; new foam headlines are being used inside helmets, often in combination with thicker, stronger and lighter plastic shells. Furthermore, sports leagues have taken efforts to make rule changes to reduce concussions, such as limiting body-checking and eliminating blind side hits or helmet to helmet contact.
Despite these advances in helmet technology and rule changes, instances of concussion continue to increase at alarming rates. While rule changes and advances in helmet technology have been significant in reducing direct impact injuries from blows to the head, any force applied to the helmet still moves the entire head. Thus, concussions and spinal cord injuries that occur as a result of acceleration/deceleration forces continue to occur; helmet technology advances also do not address other potential brain and spinal cord injury.
While prior attempts to reduce the risk of neck injuries from helmet motions have been addressed, these prior attempts have been largely unsatisfactory for a variety of reasons.
Prior art devices for preventing neck injury are centrally located on the helmet and fasten the helmet rigidly to a support structure such that safe and effective play is not possible due to restrictions in the participant's head motion, and thus to his or her vision and responsiveness. Exposed fasteners to the helmet present a hazard of injury to other players and in the case of entanglement, unexpected and potentially injurious head movement to the participant wearing the helmet. Elastic straps attached to the helmet induce unnecessary fatigue to the participant during the course of the event.
A device for preventing neck injury, spinal cord injuries and concussion that does not suffer from one or more of the above drawbacks or other deficiencies in the current art would be desirable.
SUMMARYIn an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for preventing neck, spinal cord injury and concussion, including a helmet, a body harness, and three anchor assemblies separately positioned at rear, and right and left side positions and connecting the helmet to the body harness, the anchor assemblies are adjusted to limit cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension ranges of motion of a wearer to a predetermined set point. The apparatus further includes each anchor assembly positioned at the right side position and at the left side position including three guide members extending from the helmet to an anchor of the anchor assembly, the anchor assembly positioned at the rear position including at least one guide member extending from the helmet to an anchor of the anchor assembly. The apparatus further includes each of the guide members being attached to a corresponding anchor, the anchor comprising a retainer for receiving and securing the guide members and a retainer seat permanently attached to the body harness, the retainer and retainer seat being detachably coupled to one another, the helmet being detachable from the body harness without adjusting the guide members secured to the retainer, wherein the retainer and retainer seat are male and female buckle elements.
In some embodiments, the anchor may be a two-part, quick release device having a retainer for receiving and securing the guide cords and a retainer seat permanently attached to the body harness. In this manner, the helmet can be removed without having to re-adjust the guide members or the point of attachment on the body harness.
One advantage of exemplary embodiments is that a device is provided that prevents against injury without restricting a participant's cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension range of motion.
Another advantage of exemplary embodiments is that the device prevents injury while minimizing the risk to other players that might come into contact with the device.
Still another advantage of exemplary embodiments is that the device does not interfere with the user's ability to remove his or her helmet without requiring the device to be readjusted.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following more detailed description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings which illustrate, by way of example, the principles of the invention.
Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings to represent the same parts.
Provided is an exemplary device or apparatus for preventing neck injury according to the disclosure. Embodiments of the disclosure provide for a device that does not restrict a participant's cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension range of motion; does not expose other players to the hazards of exposed fasteners; and does not unduly fatigue the participant from elastic straps.
Referring to
The anchor assembly 12 connects the helmet 16 to the body harness 14 and is adjustable to limit the wearer's range of cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension ranges of motion. This may advantageously be achieved by providing anchor assemblies 12 on each of the back or rear and both sides of the device as illustrated collectively in
As shown in
Guide members 20 should be securely attached to helmet 16 to reduce the likelihood of detachment during use, and may include permanent attachment, such as adhesive, application of heat, compression or friction fit or other manufacturing techniques as is suitable. That is, any suitable manner of securely attaching one end of the guide member 20 to the helmet 16 may be employed. For example, as shown in
As shown in
As shown in
For purposes herein, since retainer 24 (
As shown in
The anchor 18 has a retainer 40 and a retainer seat 42. Preferably, the anchor 18 is a two-piece quick release device such that the retainer 40 and retainer seat 42 are capable of being selectively disengaged from one another but can be readily re-engaged to provide a secure connection. This provides an ability for the wearer to remove his or her helmet 16 without removing the body harness 14 or needing to adjust or release the guide members 20 on the retainer 40 (as subsequently described in further detail), as may be desirable when a player is resting on the sideline of an athletic event. This may be achieved, for example, by employing a male and female buckle design for the retainer 40 and retainer seat 42 as best seen in
With continuing reference to
The spacing of the guide members 20, which are placed along the helmet 16 at specific intervals, is designed to allow normal cervical range of motion for the player. Normal ranges are 80 degrees for right and left rotation, 45 degrees for right and left lateral flexion, 50 degrees for flexion and 60 degrees for extension. It will be appreciated however, that the spacing to achieve these ranges may vary based on helmet design and helmet style. It will further be appreciated that normal ranges of motion may vary with age or gender, which may also be taken into consideration for the manufacture of any particular device 10.
As shown in
Turning to
It is appreciated that the appropriate lengths for the guide members are to be set to permit predetermined ranges of movement as will be discussed in further detail below. In one method for setting the lengths of the guide members 20, guide members 20 are inserted and secured in the respective openings 44a, 44b, 46a, 46b, 48a, 48b of retainer 40 with the helmet 16 on and the retainer 40 engaged with the retainer seat 42, and adjusting the insertion of the opposite end of the guide member in respective openings 28 (
That is, once the gear is donned and connected, except for the attachment of the guide members 20 to the retainer 40, the wearer would go through each range of motion, with the guide members 20 being secured to the retainer 40 at each range of motion. To avoid inadvertently missing some, it may be desirable to go from back to front, then left to right to make sure all guide members 20 are tied down and locked in or secured.
Because the guide members 20 are secured at the maximum range of extension desired to be experienced, the guide members 20 do not impede the wearer's normal range of motion or vision. Instead they are ordinarily limp, becoming taut only when a force is experienced that extends the wearer to the maximum range of motion and thereby preventing the neck and/or head from moving beyond that point. Instead of the force of impact being absorbed by the wearer and more particularly his or her head and neck, the force is distributed to the helmet 16 and body harness 14. Thus, the device 10 is designed to absorb linear and rotational acceleration forces into the equipment and not into the cervical spine, blood vessels, brain stem and brain of the wearer, reducing the likelihood of a concussion or other neck or spine injury.
When the anchor assembly 12, helmet 16 and body harness 14 are properly fitted and secured, the device 10 allows for free variable range of motion that can be customized for each specific wearer. For example, as previously noted, some players will have 80 degrees of right/left range of motion, while others might only have 70 degrees. The device 10 allows for this variance from player to player by tying off the guide members 20 at each wearer's maximum level of comfort. Once that normal range of motion is established and properly adjusted, the wearer's helmet will not rotate, laterally flex, flex or extend past the preset range of motion determined by the anchor assembly 12. When a body check or tackle does occur with a great force, the cervical spine will be allowed to rotate to that particular wearer's normal range of motion positions, but not beyond. The excess movement and force are dissipated by the device 10 via the helmet 16, guide members 20, anchors 18 and body harness 14.
As is appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the art, guide members 20 are cut to length to achieve the desired range of motion for the wearer, and once cut, cannot be further adjusted, unless such adjustment results in the guide members being cut to a shorter length.
While the invention has been described with reference to a preferred embodiment, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the invention. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the invention without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the invention not be limited to the particular embodiment disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this invention, but that the invention will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
Claims
1. An apparatus for preventing neck, spinal cord injury and concussion, comprising;
- a helmet;
- a body harness; and
- three anchor assemblies separately positioned at a rear position, and right side and left side positions and connecting the helmet to the body harness, wherein the anchor assemblies are adjusted to limit cervical rotation, lateral bending, flexion and extension ranges of motion of a wearer to a predetermined set point,
- each anchor assembly positioned at the right side position and at the left side position including three guide members extending from the helmet to an anchor of the anchor assembly,
- the anchor assembly positioned at the rear position including at least one guide member extending from the helmet to an anchor of the anchor assembly,
- each of the guide members being attached to a corresponding anchor, the anchor comprising a retainer for receiving and securing the guide members and a retainer seat permanently attached to the body harness, the retainer and retainer seat being detachably coupled to one another, the helmet being detachable from the body harness without adjusting the guide members secured to the retainer, wherein the retainer and retainer seat are male and female buckle elements.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the helmet includes grommets configured to receive the guide cords.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is configured to permit a maximum range of motion of 80 degrees for right and left rotation, 45 degrees for right and left lateral flexion, 50 degrees for flexion, and 60 degrees for extension.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the device is configured to distribute linear and rotational acceleration forces experienced by the wearer to the helmet and body harness.
5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the retainer seat is attached to the body harness at a location concealed by a jersey worn over the body harness.
6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least the anchor assemblies positioned at the right side position and at the left side position include a second retainer for receiving and securing the guide members opposite a corresponding anchor of the anchor assembly, wherein the second retainer is attached to the helmet.
Type: Application
Filed: Nov 24, 2021
Publication Date: Jun 9, 2022
Inventor: Kevin J. Jackson (York, PA)
Application Number: 17/456,399