Grant: Proof of Principle Program - Phase I

The overall goal of the proposed research is to design and build a prototype helmet to prevent spinal and spinal cord injuries (SCI) during head-first impact. Head-first impact involves an inverted fall onto the head (as can happen in hockey, cycling or equestrian sports) or a head-first impact with an object (the roof of a car in an automotive rollover, another player in a football game). These impacts can result in devastating consequences such as fracture to the bones in the neck (cervical spine) and contusion or other injury to the spinal cord. When the spinal cord is injured, paralysis results below the level of injury with devastating physical and financial consequences. In head-first spine impact, the cervical spine will continue to be compressed by the following torso as the torso is decelerated. Depending upon the alignment of the spine, the degree of constraint on the head, and the incoming impact velocity one of three possible outcomes will occur: 1). The head will move and allow the spine to flex or extend and escape the incoming momentum of the torso. 2). The head will not move out of the way and the spine will resist the momentum of the torso without injury (at velocities less than 3 m/s). 3). The head will not move out of the way and the spine will experience injury. Recent theoretical studies have indicated that some spinal cord injuries can be prevented by guiding the head into a flexion posture during head first impact, which effectively lets the cervical spine "escape" from the path of the large axial load. Our objective is to use cadaveric cervical spines and a drop tower to simulate a range of injurious head first impact. A Prototype device that imparts head movement at the moment of impact will be built and evaluated to determine its ability to prevent spinal injuries.