HEAD DOWN contact occurs on 41%            of the plays during a High School          Football game or once every 2.4 plays!

FACTS ON SPINAL CORD INJURIES AND PREVENTION

It is instinctive for a player to DROP the   head at contact to protect the eyes and   face.  Players  who lower their head at the   last moment have NOT had enough practice   time to over come this powerful instinct.   Players must be taught to keep their    HEAD UP at contact.  Players who keep   their head up at contact greatly reduce the   risk of axial loading to the cervical spine   thus reducing the possibility of head, neck,    spinal injuries and/or paralysis. (Spearing in Football:     Hendricks Hospital)

Spearing in Football:  Hendricks Hospital

Facts about Cervical Spinal Injuries:

• Keeping the head up at contact protects the neck
• Initiation contact with the shoulder while keeping the neck in extension virtually eliminates the risk of paralysis
• Each time a player makes contact with his head down, he risks fracturing his spine and becoming paralyzed
• The axial loading mechanism of injury does not discriminate by intent, an unintentional spear can result in paralysis
• Spearing risks pertain to tacklers, ball carriers, and blockers

STATISTICS:

• 32% to 50% of football participants will experience some type of neck injury during their career.  (Neck injuries in active patients by Brian J. Redmond, MD)
• Neck injuries make up 10% to 15% of all the injuries reported in both recreational sports and organized athletics. (Neck injuries in active patients by Brian J. Redmond, MD)
• 92% of all spinal cord injuries in sports result in quadriplegia. (National Spinal Cord Injury Association)
• 8% of all spinal cord injuries reported every year are due to sports.  ( National Spinal Cord Injury Association)
• 38% of spinal cord injuries playing football are due to tackling and 25% of those injuries will occur as the result of tackling with the head down. (National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research)
• Among 49 catastrophic neck injuries which occurred while tackling between 1977-89,  70% were recorded as tackling with the head down. (National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment)

As noted in the statistics listed above all positions in football are at risk for some type of spinal injury.  This is why the HEADS-UP STABILIZER is the perfect Training Aid to teach ALL players the key to playing with their head up.

The term Axial Loading:  Absorbing a force to the top or crown of the head reverses the normal curvature of the cervical spine.  The result of axial loading or the straightening of the spine at impact can cause spinal cord injuries, paralysis or death.
                                                                                            
                    (Figure 1)                                                                                                            (Figure 2)
        Normal position of the spine                                                                                                     Lowering of the head reverses, straightens
                   with the HEAD UP                                                                                               the spine placing a player at greater risk for serious injury

High School Football-Related Cervical Spinal Cord Injuries in Louisiana:  The Athletes Perspective  (David W. Lawrence, MPH,RN,CS; Gregory W. Stewart, MD; Dena M. Christy, MPH; Lynn I. Gibbs, MPH; March Ouellette, MD, MPH)

Axial loading of excessive force to the cervical spine has been documented as the primary cause of these injuries.  When the head is in a neutral position, the normal alignment of the spine is one of extension because of the lordotic curve.  With the head in a neutral position or further extended, forces of contact ca be partially dissipated by an athlete's well developed musculature of the neck.  When the head is rotated to a chin down position even as little as 30 degrees the normal cervical lordois (Figure 1) is straightened and the forces  of impact to the top of the head are transmitted directly to the cervical vertebrae (Figure 2).  When a player in this position collides with another player (termed spearing), the head is stopped, the trunk is still moving, and the cervical spine is crushed between the two.  Therefore, players who use the top of their helmets to tackle, block, or strike opponents are at greater risk.

Cervical Spine Injuries in Football Players:  Thomas BE, McCullen GM, Yuan HA.  Naval Medical Center San Diego, CA

Most severe cervical spine injuries share the common mechanism of application of an axial load to the straightened spine.  Avoiding techniques that employ "head down" tackling and wearing properly fitted equipment markedly reduce the risk of serious injury.

Injuries of the Cervical Spine in Football:  Funk FF, Wells RE

Coaches, officials and doctors associated with football teams need to be aware of the dangers of head-on tackling and the value of "HEADS UP" football to avoid flexion injuries.

The Heads-Up Stabilizer STRONGLY recommends that all players are taught the proper techniques of initiating contact with the SHOULDER while keeping the HEAD UP.  Keeping the HEAD UP at contact reduces the risk of catastrophic neck injuries.  The Heads-Up Stabilizer's goal is as an innovative Training Aid, designed to instill, promote, and reinforce good solid fundamental techniques through practice and repetition.