Hockey Concussions

Concussions, not a great experience for anyone, but could everyone be more protected from concussions if hockey helmets were made safer? Scientists are working hard to test top-brand hockey helmets, such as Bauer and CCM, to see how much power it takes to cause a concussion on each helmet and if scientists figure this out, hockey helmets could be made to almost prevent concussions. If hockey helmets were made safer, concussions would be less common, which would cause more hockey players to continue playing hockey. Hockey helmets being made safer have definite advantages for youth hockey players, as well as pro hockey players.

To begin with, many hockey helmets being made are unsafe, which cause the risk for a concussion more likely for …show more content…
Stated in the “Fighting Hockey Concussions with Safer Helmets (Op-Ed)” article, “The testing puts each helmet through a variety of impacts, which differ in impact location(front, rear, side, and top) and impact velocity. The sensors measure linear as well as rotational head acceleration, which is crucial fro determining concussion risk.” This stated that to be able to reduce the risk of concussions by making safer hockey helmets, the current helmets need to be tested to see how much impact can be taken before a concussion occurs. I understand that hockey helmets that reduce the risk of concussions may not be available in stores a a couple years, but it is still a good idea to test these helmets now so that safer helmets can come out in stores and can be made available to the public soon. Stated in the “Fighting Hockey Concussions with Safer Helmets (Op-Ed)” article, “The resulting data is showing researchers how frequently players experience various head impacts, and the probability of injury from a given amount of head acceleration. The data will reveal the likelihood of a concussion for a range of impacts in a given helmet, and an overall prediction for the number of concussions a player might experience over a full hockey season while wearing a given helmet.” This states that the helmets are now being tested to see how …show more content…
Stated in the “Spartan Hockey Helmets Going Under Microscope" article, “Virginia Tech engineers cut a hockey helmet and a five-star football helmet in half to show the contrast. The hockey helmet contained two thin layers of relatively rigid padding, but the football helmet had three thick layers of soft padding. The greater cushioning inside the football helmet is designed to slow the acceleration of the brain after a strong impact, thus lessening the risk of concussion.” This states that more padding that is located in any type of hockey helmet can lower the risk of a concussion. If improved hockey helmets have many, thick layers of padding, but the padding is relatively soft, the helmet would not hurt a person’s head as much when they are giving, or experiencing a check, or fakking into the boards or onto the ice. I understand that new and improved hockey helmets may make some hockey players look rediculous because they have a bigger helmet, but in the long run, an improved, bigger helmet will reduce concussion risk. Stated in the “Game changer: a biomedical engineer tests helmets to make sports safer” article, “A concussion occurs when a sudden impact, such as a head-to-head collision on the field, causes the head to accelerate very fast. As it accelerates, the