In the quest to shield athletes from the ravages of brain damage, the spotlight has turned to tools like the Q-collar, with University of Cincinnati's Tom Talavage, a brain behind the brain-protective device, opening up about its capabilities. As The Washington Post reported, Talavage, who played a hand in consulting for the Q-collar's maker Q30 Innovations and helms UC's Department of Biomedical Engineering, is keenly dissecting the impact of minor, relentless hits, not just the emergency-room-baiting homeruns to the head.
While the collar promises to safeguard the brain by way of a little pressure on the neck, slowing blood inside the skull, doubt shadows its power to stave off concussions or cognitive woes, a humility now inked into the product's manual after some FDA scrutiny. With over a quarter-million young athletes seeking emergency room solace for sports concussions annually, and estimates soaring up to 3.8 million concussions, the pressure mounts for effective protective gear.
According to a University of Cincinnati news release, Talavage told The Washington Post that despite the precautions, "We can’t make the argument that the collar prevents concussion, but it might take longer or be less likely if you use it," suggesting a cautious optimism. His drive to refine gear like helmets is fueled by observations of high school football players, the wearers of the Q-collar showing "meaningfully less evidence of inflammation" after weathering the game's less dramatic, yet harmful, routine hits.
