A novel helmet-mounted device for reducing the potential of catastrophic cervical spine fractures and spinal cord injuries in head-first impacts.

Background: Head-first impacts with an aligned cervical spine cause some of the most severe types of injuries due to the risk of fractures and associated spinal cord injury. Sports, such as football, mountain biking and horseback riding, contribute to the incidence of spinal cord injury but there is potential to reduce the risk of these injuries through a helmet-mounted device.

Methods: A novel device, the Pro-Neck-Tor mechanism, was incorporated into a commercial football helmet and tested in head-first impact experiments.

Bicycle helmets are highly effective at preventing head injury during head impact: head-form accelerations and injury criteria for helmeted and unhelmeted impacts.

Cycling is a popular form of recreation and method of commuting with clear health benefits. However, cycling is not without risk. In Canada, cycling injuries are more common than in any other summer sport; and according to the US National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, 52,000 cyclists were injured in the US in 2010.