Yesterday, PhD AT alumnus Dr. Greg Myer, presented on a breakthrough mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) prevention device with the Performance Sports Group in New York. Dr. Myer is the Director of Research for the Division of Sports Medicine at the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, and is also a primary faculty member in the College of Medicine at the University of Cincinatti.
The device that Dr. Myer presented is a convenient neckband that is the first of its kind, and it reduces mTBIs internally by using the body’s own physiology. It works by applying light pressure on the neck, which increases blood volume in the vein structure of the brain and minimizes the sloshing of the brain inside the skull when a person experiences impact to the head.
Two separate peer-reviewed studies have already been published about the device, in Neurosurgery and the Journal of Neurosurgery. Both independently found that the device provided a significant reduction in the number of torn fibers in a standard concussion when the band was used. Dr. Myer also cited several other studies that are showing promising results. The band is still going through the required testing to be approved by the FDA and other regulatory bodies, but representative from the Performance Sports Group said that they hope to potentially begin offering the product to athletes within the next 12-24 months.
Check out Dr. Myer’s piece of the the presentation here (he comes in at about minute 30).
