New Anti-CTE Helmet

[Mary1966]

At least I think that’s what this is. But it reminds me of the Great Gazoo.

[cardinalkarp]

While I’m fully on board them doing everything possible to prevent brain damage (because I bet we see more and more of it as guys from this generation of NFL’ers age), those things look ridiculous.

[sighyoung]

While those look bad, I do wonder if some of my father's periodic depressions and eventual dementia might have been related to his playing high-school and college football in the late 40's and early 50's. Anything that could avoid that outcome would be great. Or, better yet, be a runt like me and not play the sport.

[IMADreamer]

While those look bad, I do wonder if some of my father's periodic depressions and eventual dementia might have been related to his playing high-school and college football in the late 40's and early 50's. Anything that could avoid that outcome would be great. Or, better yet, be a runt like me and not play the sport.

It's worth it to stop CTE. Obviously I can't know if I have it until I die but I've had multiple concussions from football and other activities. I've definitely had some issues as I age.

[WAR God]

Are they supposed to stop the subconcussive hits?

The physics of being upright to being horizontal in 1ms still causes the brain sloshing right?

[mikechamp]

I saw these at a high school practice recently, and thought:

"Do these prevent the brain from slamming into the inner wall of the skull? Because if not, then we're still just putting lipstick on the pig."

[Leroy]

Unless there is mild CTE, you would know it when you have it. Or better said, you would know it after you have had an episode. I have had between 4 - 6 episodes I call them. Not from sports but that's a whole nother story. Most of them were me not knowing where I was or why, and I came out of them within a half an hour.

The only real serious one was we were on the road in a hotel, and in the morning, I was a freak show. My wife couldn't get me out of the room and I was being a total jerk (way more than my usual self). She talked to the hotel, and they called the cops who called an ambulance. I spent that full day in the hospital not knowing anything and finally came out of the next morning. I do remember not wanting to go to sleep in case it happened again. I can only describe it as like a stroke. Where your brain knows what you are supposed to do and the communication between that part and the parts of your body that do it just aren't communicating.

I remember in the morning they asked a bunch of dumb questions to see if I was coherent. The one that still gets me was when they asked my age. I was 45, which seems like an easy age to remember. I could only come up with 38, so that's what I said.

That was over 10 years ago, and I haven't had anything since. I do know how to recognize if something is coming on however.

I do feel for whoever deals with this, especially when it is from injury, because I don't think that just goes away.

If the helmets do help, I'd get used to it. I'm sure the first helmets looked dumb too. I also remember how I liked Craig MacTavash but he looked so dumb flying around without a lid.

[IMADreamer]

Unless there is mild CTE, you would know it when you have it. Or better said, you would know it after you have had an episode. I have had between 4 - 6 episodes I call them. Not from sports but that's a whole nother story. Most of them were me not knowing where I was or why, and I came out of them within a half an hour.

The only real serious one was we were on the road in a hotel, and in the morning, I was a freak show. My wife couldn't get me out of the room and I was being a total jerk (way more than my usual self). She talked to the hotel, and they called the cops who called an ambulance. I spent that full day in the hospital not knowing anything and finally came out of the next morning. I do remember not wanting to go to sleep in case it happened again. I can only describe it as like a stroke. Where your brain knows what you are supposed to do and the communication between that part and the parts of your body that do it just aren't communicating.

I remember in the morning they asked a bunch of dumb questions to see if I was coherent. The one that still gets me was when they asked my age. I was 45, which seems like an easy age to remember. I could only come up with 38, so that's what I said.

That was over 10 years ago, and I haven't had anything since. I do know how to recognize if something is coming on however.

I do feel for whoever deals with this, especially when it is from injury, because I don't think that just goes away.

If the helmets do help, I'd get used to it. I'm sure the first helmets looked dumb too. I also remember how I liked Craig MacTavash but he looked so dumb flying around without a lid.

I hope you don't mind me jumping on your post and maybe asking some questions, or at least sharing my experience. In 2021 I was working ground in a tractor about a mile from the main farmstead. I don't know how to describe what happened except for I knew I was in trouble. Luckily I had the where with all to head in, but by the time I was at the end of the field and had the implement folded up things were going south quickly. I decided to try and make it to the farm but I got maybe 100 yards down the road and I had started losing feeling in my limbs.

I pulled over and got my phone out and called my wife. Luckily I told her what I was doing that day and where I'd be because she said she couldn't understand a thing I was saying. I didn't even know it but in the mean time I'd called my Mom too who also couldn't understand me. My wife arrived, and it also just so happened a good friend was passing by too and he said he just knew something was wrong. He and my wife got me to the car, and then the hospital.

The hospital first treated me for heat stroke, which I guess made sense because apparently I was burning up, although I'd been in an air conditioned tractor. However they quickly began to assume I was having a stroke and shipped me to a bigger hospital about an hour away. By the time I got to that hospital I was getting back to normal. I stayed there for some tests and was able to go home about midnight. By then the only thing I could tell you was that I felt an exhaustion I've never felt before and I don't remember much of anything from that day.

From there, that sent me on a journey to neurologists and other specialists where we would find out I have a plethora of issues going on in my head.

I'm just curious but what are some of the signs you have when it's coming on? Also if you recognize it can you control it, or kind of mitigate it, or is it just more of a "well crap here we go?"

Sorry for the long post, I'm just curious if we have something similar happening.

[Leroy]

I hope you don't mind me jumping on your post and maybe asking some questions, or at least sharing my experience. In 2021 I was working ground in a tractor about a mile from the main farmstead. I don't know how to describe what happened except for I knew I was in trouble. Luckily I had the where with all to head in, but by the time I was at the end of the field and had the implement folded up things were going south quickly. I decided to try and make it to the farm but I got maybe 100 yards down the road and I had started losing feeling in my limbs.

I pulled over and got my phone out and called my wife. Luckily I told her what I was doing that day and where I'd be because she said she couldn't understand a thing I was saying. I didn't even know it but in the mean time I'd called my Mom too who also couldn't understand me. My wife arrived, and it also just so happened a good friend was passing by too and he said he just knew something was wrong. He and my wife got me to the car, and then the hospital.

That sounds eerily familiar. One of my 'episodes' was when I was working nights. For whatever reason I went to the park because it was too early to go to work, listened to the NCAA tournament and fell asleep. I woke up and I just felt weird. I felt I should not drive so I tried to call a cab. My fingers wouldn't work to manipulate the phone (so frustrating) but I could push the one button to call the wife. She was out of town and confused but got me a cab and I went to work. By the time I got there I was fine, but really was so out of it before.

As far as it coming on, I used to tell everyone around me if I start acting out of sorts, stop me, and make sure I'm ok. The test that they tell you to do is hold your hands out in front of you. If you are not steady, it is a sign that something is going on. It is pretty pronounced and different than just normal unsteadiness. Several times over the years, the wife has stopped me when I act odd and just says hold out your hands. It happens more than it should because I do stupid stuff alot, but anyways. You can just do it yourself too. If you are shaking pretty bad, either stop doing dangerous stuff or get help.

Unfortunately mine is chemical (too much ammonia) related and not due to injury. But everything I have heard sounds very similar as far as symptoms. I'm happy to answer questions as I had no idea at the beginning, and now consider myself pretty learned.

[Mary1966]

Another Packer in the new helmet.