concussions and protective equipment Flashcards
what is the benefit of protective equipment (PE)
simple and efficient to monitor and adjust
what is the problem with RCT PE study
unethical to not give to some
people may not wear it
costly
are they going to wear it after the study
what are the effects of cohort PE study
without sample of outcome, hard to compare if effective
what are the effects of case control PE design
starts at outcome (when you were injured, were you wearing PE or no)
recall problems
what are the effects of cross sectional PE study
dont know if they were injured and then wore mouthguard or if they were wearing one when they got injured
can’t infer causation
what PE study designs are optimal
meta and systematic reviews (need good primary research)
case control (recall bias can get in the way)
what are the problems with helmet research
helmet on dummy in lab and run through impact scenarios
still protect against head injury
what are the effects of wearing helmets, wristguards, mouthguards
helmet - 35% lower risk of injury
wristguards - significant decrease in injury risk
mouthguards - 57% lower risk
how do mouthguards reduce concussion
muscle activation
spacing (more space = limit contact to head)
cushioning (absorbs shock)
what is the effect of headgear in rugby
some benefits for other injuries but not concussion
what are the effects of helmet fit
poor fitting helmet increases injury risk and increases concussion symptoms
why is helmet fit poor
culture
no training for coaches
no enforcement
head size variation
lack of funding?
what is the effect of helmet use on neck injury
no higher rates
what is the easiest way to assess risk compensation
look at injuries that are not associated with PE
if wearing a helmet, what is going on with the rest of the body
what is the risk ratio between wearing a helmet vs wearing an ill fitting helmet
still wear ill fitting helmet but fix it
