Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
CA 02822642 2013-08-01
APPARATUS FOR PREVENTING NECK INJURY, SPINAL CORD INJURY AND
CONCUSSION
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
100011 The present invention is directed to a device for preventing neck
injury, spinal cord injury
and concussion.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0002] A 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 Cl /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.
[0003] 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.
[0004] 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
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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.
[0005] 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.
[0006] 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.
[0007] 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.
SUMMARY
[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus for preventing neck injury,
spinal cord injury
and concussion comprises a helmet, a body harness and a plurality of anchor
assemblies
connecting the helmet to the body harness. The anchor assemblies are
adjustable 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
cords extending
from the helmet to an anchor of the anchor assembly, the plurality of guide
cords being attached
to, but individually adjustable with respect to, the anchor.
[0009] In some embodiments, the anchor may be a two-part, quick release device
having a cleat
for receiving and securing the guide cords and a cleat seat permanently
attached to the body
harness. In this manner, the helmet can be removed without having to re-adjust
the guide cords
or the point of attachment on the body harness.
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[0010] 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.
[0011] 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.
[0012] 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.
[0013] 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.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0014] FIG. 1 is a front view of a device for preventing neck injury in
accordance with an
exemplary embodiment.
[0015] FIG. 2 is a rear view of the device shown in FIG. 1.
[0016] FIGs. 3 and 4 are side views of the device shown in FIG. 1.
[0017] FIG. 5 is an enlarged view of the anchor assembly.
[0018] FIG. 6 is an enlarged view of one alternative manner of attaching the
guide cords to the
helmet.
[0019] Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout
the drawings to
represent the same parts.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS
[0020] Provided is an exemplary device 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
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the hazards of exposed fasteners; and does not unduly fatigue the participant
from elastic straps.
[0021] Referring to FIGs. 1-3, a device 10 for preventing neck injury includes
an anchor
assembly 100, helmet 200, and body harness 300. Although the helmet 200 shown
in the
drawings is illustrated as a lacrosse helmet, it will be appreciated that any
style of helmet for use
in any type of sport may be used in conjunction with the device 10 including,
without limitation,
lacrosse, football, hockey, racing, and bicycling, all by way of example only.
In the same
manner, the body harness 300 may be any harness of the types that are now
known or later may
be developed to be worn by an individual including, without limitation,
shoulder pads, protective
vests, seat belts, and five point harness, all by way of example.
[0022] The anchor assembly 100 connects the helmet 200 to the body harness 300
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 100 on
each of the front, back and both sides of the device as illustrated in FIGs. 1-
3. It will be
appreciated that this arrangement is not the only one by which that goal could
be achieved and
that as few as three and as many as five, six or more anchor assemblies 100
may be distributed
on the device about the wearer.
[0023] The anchor assembly 100 includes an anchor 140 as well as a plurality
of guide cords 110
that are securely attached at one end to the helmet 200; in the illustrated
embodiment, each
anchor assembly 100 employs three guide cords 110. The guide cords 110 are
preferably nylon
parachute cord or nylon sport cord, which in either case may be capable of
absorbing over 500
pounds of force (i.e., having a tensile strength of at least 500 pounds).
[0024] The guide cords 110 may be permanently attached to the helmet 200 to
reduce the
likelihood of one or more of them becoming detached during use. Any manner of
securely
attaching one end of the guide cord 110 to the helmet 200 may be employed. One
manner of
securely attaching the guide cords 110 to the helmet 200 is through the use of
grommets 210
(best seen in FIG. 2) formed in the helmet. FIG. 6 illustrates an alternative
method of securely
attaching the guide cord 110 to the helmet 200 using a clamp 170 to attach the
guide cord 110
around a portion of the helmet 200 and also to itself, which may be preferred
for certain locations
on the helmet such as the face guard and/or for helmet styles having other
areas that would not
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readily accommodate a grommet 210.
[0025] The other end of each guide cord 110 is adjustably secured to the
anchor 140 that is itself
securely attached to the body harness 300. In one embodiment, the anchor 140
may be stitched
directly to the body harness 300. Alternatively, the anchor 140 may employ a
piece of nylon or
other webbing 150 as an intermediate piece. Any other suitable method of
attaching the anchor
140 to the body harness 300 may also be employed and it will be appreciated
that, as with the
guide cords 110 to the helmet 200, multiple methods of securing the anchor 140
to the harness
300 may be used in a single device 10 based on the style of the harness 300.
In one embodiment,
the anchor 140 is preferably secured sufficiently close to the harness 300 so
that anchor 140 is
concealed by the wearer's jersey 310 (FIG. 4) along with the body harness 300
when in use. This
limits potential injury that may occur by other players coming into contact
with the exposed
anchor 140, or unexpected and potentially injurious head movement in the case
of entanglement,
although at least a portion of the guide cords 110 ordinarily remain exposed.
[0026] The anchor 140 has a cleat 120 and a cleat seat 130. Preferably, the
anchor 140 is a two-
piece quick release device such that the cleat 120 and cleat seat 130 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 200 without
removing the body harness 300 or needing to adjust or release the guide cords
110 on the cleat
120 (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 cleat 120 and cleat seat 130 as best seen in FIG.
5.
[0027] With continuing reference to FIGs. 1-3, the cleat 120 of the anchor 140
provides an
adjustable tie-off that permits the length of the guide cord 110 between the
helmet 200 and the
cleat 120 to be modified and, as a result, to restrict the wearer's range of
motion to a pre-
determined limit, preventing extension beyond that pre-set limit which could
result in injury to
the wearer. The cleat 120 mechanically secures each of the corresponding guide
cords 110
associated with that anchor position. In the exemplary embodiment, three guide
cords 110 are
associated with each of the front, back and side anchor positions, each guide
cord 110 securely
attached to the helmet 200 at a distance apart from one another and tapering
downward to their
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common anchor 140.
[0028] The spacing of the guide cords 110, which are placed along the helmet
200 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.
[0029] Turning to FIG. 5, an enlarged view of the anchor assembly 100 is shown
and which
depicts one manner in which each of the cords 110 is tied-off in the cleat 120
of the anchor 140.
As illustrated, the guide cord 110 extends from the helmet 200 and the loose
end is inserted
through a channel or first groove 122 formed in the cleat 120. The guide cord
110 is pulled until
the desired length between the helmet 200 and cleat 120 is achieved, upon
which the guide cord
110 may be looped around the cleat 120 one or more times and then secured in a
clip or second
groove 124 formed on an opposite of the cleat 120 from the first groove 122.
[0030] The guide cords 110 are tied off in the cleat 120 with the helmet 200
on and the cleat 120
engaged with the cleat seat 130. Preferably, the predetermined length to which
the cords are tied
off is accomplished with the wearer's head and neck being moved at each point
to the maximum
comfortable cervical, flexion, or extension positions (which may be less than
the normal
maximum range of motion), which can most easily be achieved in a sequential
manner and
which can be done by the wearer, or more typically, with the aid of another
individual.
[0031] That is, once the gear is donned and connected, except for the
attachment of the guide
cords 110 to the cleat 120, the wearer would go through each range of motion,
with the guide
cords 110 being secured to the cleat 120 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 cords
110 are tied down and locked in.
[0032] Because the guide cords 110 are tied off at the maximum range of
extension desired to be
experienced, the guide cords 110 do not impede the wearer's normal range of
motion or vision.
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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
200 and body harness
300. 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.
[0033] When the anchor assembly 100, helmet 200 and body harness 300 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 cords 110 at each
individual's maximum
level of comfort. Once that normal range of motion is established and locked
in, the wearer's
helmet will not rotate, laterally flex, flex or extend past the preset range
of motion determined by
the anchor assembly 100. 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,
but not beyond. The
excess movement and force is absorbed into the device 10 via the helmet 200,
guide cords 110,
anchors 140 and body harness 300.
[0034] 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.
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