Source: Charlotte Observer

High school football coaches might be interested in a new concussion-prevention product that Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly is tryout out this season.

The device Kuechly is wearing is called a Q Collar.

Co-invented by Dr. David Smith a little over five years ago and developed by Connecticut-based sports science company Q-30 Innovations, the Q Collar’s inspiration was drawn from the physiology of a woodpecker, which beats its head against a tree trunk several thousand times per day but does not suffer brain damage. This is because, among other advantages, a woodpecker’s tongue can put pressure on its jugular vein.

By doing so, the blood flow out of the skull cavity slows and provides a cushion for the brain on the inside of the skull.

Similarly, Smith found, as the two ends of the Q Collar press slightly on a human’s jugular vein, cerebrospinal fluid outflow is slowed, increasing the amount of fluid by between a teaspoon and a couple of ounces.

For more on this story, visit the Charlotte Observer.

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