Research Hopes to Curb Head, Neck Injuries in Athletes

Two competitive Ohio medical research institutions are teaming up at a new lab to study head and spinal injuries that occur in sports and combat.

The Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University will jointly run the Cleveland Traumatic Neuromechanics Consortium, to learn more about causes of head and neck injuries and to create better protection and treatment, The Plain Dealer reported.

“There are many more questions than answers” about brain injuries, said mechanical engineer Adam Bartsch, who leads the Clinic’s Head, Neck and Spine Research Laboratory. One of those questions is what level of force or number of repeated impacts causes temporary or permanent brain damage. There’s concern that injuries like concussions can cause lasting damage. The lab will search for answers with specialized equipment, including an air-powered ram that will be used to test football helmets on replicas by mimicking certain impacts, which some suspect may be even more damaging.

“There are things that can be done to the helmet that would be helpful in basically absorbing energy and protecting the head,” said Case Western mechanical and aerospace engineering professor Vikas Prakash, who has worked on creating better protective gear for military personnel and vehicles.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports athletic activities lead to nearly four million concussions a year. A study by the nonprofit Rand Corp. determined at least 320,000 U.S. troops that served in Iraq and Afghanistan during the past decade suffered probable concussions.

But why do some suffer brain damage while others show few effects?

Part of the puzzle could be answered in a study of boxers now being conducted in Las Vegas.

Some 148 current boxers and MMA fighters have already taken their first set of tests for the study, funded mostly by hotel magnate Kirk Kerkorian and conducted at the Cleveland Clinic’s new Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Las Vegas.

Researchers hope to eventually enroll more than 600 fighters in what is hoped to be at least a four-year study of their brains.