One of the insidious aspects of traumatic brain injury (TBI) is that in most cases, the damage is not visible. The gold standard for diagnosis is a CT scan, but this is not possible on the battlefield or football field. Medical personnel are generally limited to questionnaires and concussion screening protocols. The US Marine Corps has adopted a new product to help identify … [Read more...]
CES 2017: InfraRed Light May Help Treat Concussions
We've written about LumiWave before; the company makes arrays of infrared-emitting LEDs to provide pain relief and speed healing. The company has scientific research that shows this treatment can be beneficial even for bone fractures and hard-to-heal tissues such as the Achilles tendon. I wanted to make sure that I scheduled time to meet with representatives of the company at … [Read more...]
CES 2017: Another Smart Mouthguard Measures Head Impact
One of the ways for a person to get a concussion is to suffer a blow to the head. Many sports -- including "non-contact" sports such as soccer -- can result in head impacts during the course of routine play. The problem is that not all impacts result in a concussion. And there's evidence that a series of smaller impacts can be as damaging as a single larger blow. Researchers … [Read more...]
Smart Helmet Monitors Head Impacts
Many people work in potentially dangerous environments, such as construction, where falling objects or swinging machinery can cause serious injury. This is especially true when there is a blow to the head, which can lead to concussion and other impairments. First responders and healthcare workers need as much information as possible in order to treat the injured person … [Read more...]
New Wheelchair Hub Eases the Bumps
Don't you love it when a new approach to a familiar solution challenges all your assumptions? That's the case with a new design for wheels that gives wheelchair users a smoother and safer ride. The SoftWheel is an in-wheel suspension system. Most wheelchairs use wheels mounted to a hub using rigid spokes of one sort or another. The axle attached to the hub then relies on … [Read more...]
