Effect of cervical spine and helmet properties on traumatic brain injury
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The human brain is the most vital organ in the body, acting as the command center of the nervous system and embodying the essence of the human ingenuity that separates our species from the rest of the animal kingdom. Injuries to the brain, known as traumatic brain injuries (TBI), can be devastating and cause a wide-range of physical and psychological effects, even from mild forms of these injuries. Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), more colloquially known as "concussion, " is extremely common in sports and recreation, yet is notoriously difficult to diagnose or prevent. With mounting evidence that mTBI can cause long-term neurodegeneration and cognitive disorders, an increased scrutiny has been placed on contact sports, with many suggesting that sports like football face an existential crisis as parents consider them unsafe for their children. This thesis furthers our knowledge of brain injury prevention. First, a methodology for evaluating mTBI risk from sensor data is presented. Second, the role of the cervical spine musculature and skeletal configuration in mTBI risk is investigated. Building off of this work, the most vulnerable locations on the head to injury are identified, and implications for helmet design are discussed. Lastly, we propose a novel helmet technology based on a hydraulic shock absorption system and evaluate this system using simulation and experimentation. Using American football as a model system for brain injury, this thesis contributes a comprehensive view of how neck musculature, impact location, and helmet properties can be modified to reduce the risk of brain trauma in contact sports
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic resource; remote; computer; online resource |
| Extent | 1 online resource |
| Place | California |
| Place | [Stanford, California] |
| Publisher | [Stanford University] |
| Copyright date | 2020; ©2020 |
| Publication date | 2020; 2020 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Author | Fanton, Michael Gah-ming |
|---|---|
| Degree supervisor | Camarillo, David |
| Degree supervisor | Cutkosky, Mark R |
| Thesis advisor | Camarillo, David |
| Thesis advisor | Cutkosky, Mark R |
| Thesis advisor | Delp, Scott |
| Degree committee member | Delp, Scott |
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Mechanical Engineering. |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|---|
| Genre | Text |
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Michael Fanton |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Mechanical Engineering |
| Thesis | Thesis Ph.D. Stanford University 2020 |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2020 by Michael Gah-ming Fanton
- License
- This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).
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