TED Talk by David Camarillo—Why helmets don’t prevent concussions—and what might.
April 2016— Stanford University
Camarillo, D. (2016, April 1). Why helmets don't prevent concussions -- and what might.Retrieved July 21, 2019, from https://www.ted.com/talks/ david_camarillo_why_helmets_don_t_prevent_concussions_and_what_might? utm_campaign=tedspread&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=tedcomshare
This TED Talk described how a concussion happens and several assumptions we have about concussions. David describes how some visuals do not show the impact of concussive impacts that are happening deep within our brain, permanently destroying our brain tissues. He also explains how research is still needed to understand how to better prevent and decrease concussions. During the TED Talk, David spoke about a company called Hovding in Sweden that has a current inflatable bike helmet that fills with air on impact, thus preventing the rider from sustaining a traumatic brain injury. I believe with cutting edge technology like Hovding is developing, we should be able to help decrease the number of concussions that are occurring today.
I chose this topic because I played football from the time I was 8 years old until Junior year of high school. I have always been interested in how repetitive hits to the head can affect the brain later in life and what routes we can take to help prevent these devastating injuries from happening.
From this TED Talk I learned how sometimes information can be misconstrued and presented in a confusing manner. David explained the neuropathology of a concussion and the complexities of the injury. I researched further into the chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that David mentioned during his talk, and it seems that CTE is VERY common among NFL players. The Journal of American Medical Association performed a study in 2017 and found that 110 of 111 deceased NFL players had been neuropathologically diagnosed with CTE. These numbers are staggering and the need for further research is evident! I also believe that further education should be presented to individuals, players, coaches, etc. in order to explain the risks involved with receiving repetitive hits to the head, like experienced in a typical football career. Some NFL players have recently been bold enough to speak out about the physical implications from playing in the NFL for numerous years, causing some players to retire after a couple of years to prevent further physical and psychological damage.
https://hovding.com
https://hovding.com
