An innovative collar intended to prevent athletes from suffering brain injury from head impacts has been given authorization by the FDA to go on sale in the US, with hopes that Q-Collar could help the millions of such injuries that happen each year. Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can lead to nerve damage, paralysis, and even death, when blunt trauma causes the brain to “slosh” in the skull.
Developed by Canadian company Q30 Innovations, Q-Collar takes a physical route to try to reduce TBIs. Designed to be worn tightly around the neck, it applies pressure to the internal jugular veins. In turn, that increases the amount of blood volume in the blood vessels found in the skull.
Carolina Panthers’ Linebacker Luke Kuechly, who retired at 28 after suffering a series of head injuries, was seen wearing the Q-Collar in his final seasons with the NFL.
Learn more at FDA approves device to help protect athletes from traumatic brain injury
Also learn how the “Hulk Shrug Technique” utilizes a shoulder-shrugging motion which allows the neck’s stronger extension muscles to stabilize the head thereby enabling the head, neck, shoulders and upper back to act as a solid single unit during football impact thus functioning simultaneously not as separate individual units by Dr. Donald Chu (bio) PhD, PT, ATC, CSCS, Sports Performance and Sports Medicine Specialist.