Purdue researchers look to decrease sports concussions
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) — The Purdue Neurotrauma Group is looking into ways to minimize concussions among college football players.
A study by the NCAA found that over a four-year span, 7 percent of football player injuries were concussions.
Eric Nauman, a professor of mechanical engineering at Purdue University, said he hopes the group’s research will create a new push for safety: “Whether it is new equipment, new treatment methods — we’re actually working on a lot of detection algorithms — whatever it is that needs to happen to make sports safer, that’s the direction we’re heading.”
The team’s target is to identify the mechanisms that lead to traumatic head injuries.
Tom Talavage, a professor of computer and electrical engineering at Purdue, is part of the team and said he believes proper recovery time is essential to mitigate further brain damage.
“What we have found with our athletes is those who have gone through a season, particularly those who have taken a large number of blows, it will generally be about three to five months after the season before their brain has recovered back to where it looked like before the season began,” said Talavage.
Nauman compared concussions to a faulty airplane: “If you have problems in an airplane, all the triple redundant systems have failed, and when you do have problems, then they’re big problems.”
And with continuous head collisions, the damage is comparable to a car accident.
“One full season of football, even five months out, has led to enough change in your brain that you would look comparable to someone who was just involved in a very violent car accident,” said Talavage.
Evidence shows inadequate time off after a head injury can cause lasting effects, such as limiting brain development.
The group believes innovation is key for the future of player safety.
For now, the two researchers say the best way to minimize the risk is to limit unnecessary contact during practice and to add safer equipment.