Athletes, Parents and Coaches Urged to Think Beyond the Helmet
Innovative device, now available in Canada as the Q-Collar, helps protect the brain from sports-related impacts – allowing athletes to more safely play the sports they love
TORONTO, Aug. 7, 2019 /CNW/ - As young athletes close out the summer on football, lacrosse and soccer fields across the country and as youth hockey camps and sports leagues gear up for a new Fall season, concerns about traumatic brain injury (TBI) and health and safety continue to be top of mind for parents, coaches and players themselves. Now, an innovation focused on helping to reduce brain injury – the Q-Collar – is available to athletes in Canada.
Fitted and worn around the neck, the Q-Collar is used with other sports equipment to help protect the brain from sports-related impacts. A number of professional and elite athletes in North America are already wearing it on the field, including Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill who also advocates for young athletes and their parents to pay closer attention to its potential.
"I believe that our sport will always benefit from innovation, particularly when it comes to brain injuries. Considering my helmet is designed to mainly protect my skull, I was immediately drawn to the Q-Collar as a new way to help protect my brain," says Bighill. "After reviewing the research and science behind it and experiencing first-hand how it feels to play while wearing it, I'm convinced the Q-Collar can be a game-changer for athletes at all levels."
The Q-Collar was created by a team of doctors who identified that the movement of the brain inside the skull, also known as "slosh", is a key cause of structural changes to the brain.
"Recognizing the limits of external protective equipment, such as helmets, in preventing movement-related damage to the brain, we looked for a way to reduce brain movement from the inside," says Dr. Joseph Fisher, anesthesiologist and neuroscientist at the University of Toronto, and co-inventor of the Q-Collar technology. "Building on the key concept for why brain injury takes place, we reasoned that with a slight increase of blood volume caused by gentle compression of the neck veins, we could help reduce the brain's movement, thereby protecting it from being stretched and jostled inside the skull."
Extensive clinical studies, trials and research published in peer-reviewed journals and conducted by leading medical institutions including the Cincinnati Children's Hospital, University of Toronto and Harvard University have confirmed this thinking. Studies include real-life, on-field testing by over 500 athletes and across sports including football, soccer, hockey, lacrosse, skiing and auto racing, demonstrating that wearing the Q-Collar can help protect the brain from sports-related impacts. The Q-Collar has been designed for any sport or activity where an athlete is exposed to head impacts. Canadian athletes, their parents and coaches now have the opportunity to use the Q-Collar as an added layer of protective equipment.
"After six years of research and development, we're excited to now be at a point where athletes across Canada can benefit from the Q-Collar," says Tom Hoey, co-founder, Q30 Innovations, the company behind the research and development of the Q-Collar. "We're also proud to have high-profile, respected athletes like Adam Bighill adopt the Q-Collar and help us spread the word to athletes, their parents and coaches."
The Q-Collar provides athletes with a new way to more safely play the sports they love and allows parents to do more about their children's safety without sacrificing performance and comfort. The Q-Collar does not replace other protective equipment, such as helmets, but can provide additional protection. The Q-Collar may not be suitable for everyone and Q30 recommends users to read and follow the directions for use.
The Q-Collar is now available for purchase in Canada at www.qcollar.ca. The Q-Collar is priced at $250 and the company also offers a team sales program for orders of 20 or more.
A summary of the independent research conducted on the Q-Collar can be found at www.qcollar.ca/research.
About Q30 Innovations
Q30 Innovations, LLC, is a global research and development company dedicated to developing innovative technology and products intended to reduce traumatic brain injury. Q30 partners with leading independent science and medical institutions to design cutting-edge products that will protect athletes, soldiers and industrial workers.
SOURCE Q30 Innovations
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