If you’re a recent watcher of NFL games – and I know a lot of you are – you might not realize that the wrap some players are wearing around their necks is new.
That said, even if you have watched professional football for decades, you might not realize how exactly this little piece of tech works.
It’s called a Q collar, and was designed to mitigate some of the fallout from head trauma, which is honestly all but inevitable in their line of work.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the device, which was created by Q30. It works by gently compressing the jugular vein, increasing blood flow in the skull.
That blood then provides an extra layer, or some cushion, in the event of an impact.
The thought is that many brain injuries result from the brain rattling around in the skull with nothing to provide a soft-ish landing.
Q30 admits the collar isn’t intended to prevent concussions that result from a big hit. Instead, it’s meant to minimize the impact of the more common subconcussive forces that happen almost without anyone noticing.
They’re so common, in fact, that professional athletes could experience thousands of them over the course of their careers.
At this point, any small amount of help is likely more than worth it.
Which is probably why we’ll see more and more players giving these a shot in the future.
After all, some protection is better than none.
If you enjoyed that story, check out what happened when a guy gave ChatGPT $100 to make as money as possible, and it turned out exactly how you would expect.