The research investigators discuss the methods prior to data collection. Pictured clockwise starting from the left are: Laura Decoster, Max Cohen, Amy Hollingworth, Steve Tucker and Kevin Silva (football model).
Steve Tucker, PhD, ATC, assistant professor and interim chair in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education, collaborated on a research project with personnel from the New Hampshire Musculoskeletal Institute in Manchester, New Hampshire. The aim of the research project was to identify the quickest technique to remove a football helmet chinstrap while limiting head and neck motion in order to access the airway of an athlete with a spinal cord injury. For individuals under the age of 30, sport and recreational participation is the second most common cause of spinal cord injury. Proper and timely management of acute spinal cord injury in athletes is paramount due to the risk of sudden death and neurological deterioration.