Don't want to hijack the NFL thread... Concussion control

I don't want this to go down the rabbit hole of how bad the NFL (and NHL for that matter) have been handling their concussion problem/catastrophe, but I heard about this the other day and was wondering if anyone knew anything about it: The Q Collar. 

I'd come to the conclusion a few years ago that there was nothing that could be done to prevent concussions aside from preventing impact. You can have the best hockey/football/racing helmet in the world or the worst, you simply can't stop the brain from hitting the skull without a helmet that is about 5 feet in diameter--enough to slow the overall speed of the head before it comes to a stop, so that the impact of the brain to the skull is slower. Well, now they have a potential "internal" protection idea. Apparently, woodpeckers were studied to figure out  how they don't have ridiculous head injuries, and the reason is that their tongues actually wrap around their brain, which holds more fluid in the skull: 

So a company started to figure out a way to do this with humans. They came up with the Q Collar. The idea is that it places pressure on the jugular, creating something of a backflow into the head, which provides more fluid (blood) and therefore more cushion for blows to the head.

The idea seems very interesting to me. Anyone had any experience with it? Seems to have had good initial results with a high school football team, and apparently it is marketed by Bauer up in Canada. 

Is there any mention of an effect on athletic performance here? Seems like blood flow is pretty critical, and restricting the jugular might have some drawbacks.

Wow. 

Not sure I’d want blood backing up into my skull, but the woodpecker is incredibly cool. 

STM317 said:

Is there any mention of an effect on athletic performance here? Seems like blood flow is pretty critical, and restricting the jugular might have some drawbacks.

I haven't seen any. And it is apparently a very slight pressure--just enough to increase the blood volume in the head a slight amount, roughly the same as what it is in high altitudes where concussion incidences are much less.

Isn't that sort of the same pressure point used by professional wrestlers performing a "sleeper hold"?    Seriously, I'm thinking there's a narrow window between holding blood in the brain and preventing it from flowing to the brain.

Interesting idea. If it works, I hope it catches on.

Well, if you have detailed questions, head and neck injuries causing concussions is a big part of what my sister has studied while getting her PhD at Duke.

Dunno what she thinks about this product, but I'm sure she has an opinion!

Interesting, but I would be a bit concerned about the "constant pressure" when the head is tilted at different angles. E.g. in a  3 point stance,  running down the field, turning to look for the ball or even having a pile of 300 lbs guys on top of you.

Meh....they should go back to leather helmets if they are serious about concussions.  When they used leather helmets, they didn't give the same invincibility feeling helmets today do. Players were more careful where they put their heads.  It might lead to more offensive scoring too.  Actually, I've never researched any of this as I don't really care what they do it just makes sense to me.

In reply to Fletch1 :

Or go full rugby and remove all helmets and pads.  It'll never happen but it's probably the safest solution.

It appears Rugby players also get a decent number of concussions, but I suspect they are generally less common and less severe.  

Removing pads and helmets should reduce the severity of injuries in general.  Bonus is that is would result in a lot more blood... which is what the people want....

I don't know if this helmet is the answer,  but it's a step in the right direction. 

Softer helmets that have give are the answer. Right now helmets are giant 60s-70s land yachts with solid steering columns. They need modern crumple zones. 

captdownshift said:

Softer helmets that have give are the answer. Right now helmets are giant 60s-70s land yachts with solid steering columns. They need modern crumple zones. 

There isn't enough space for a "crumple zone" unless you wore a helmet like this: 

Even there I'm not sure it would help much. Think about it, it is similar to a racing helmet. There is a lot of cushion inside those, but they don't prevent concussions. 

No, you will need a Gary Busey brand helmet:

I know you're joking... but yeah, really if you wanted an appropriate "crumple zone" to stop the brain from hitting the skull, that is about right.