Mouth Guards Get a Digital Upgrade and Aid Concussion Study

The word “concussion” can conjure up images of a football quarterback getting sacked on the field or two soccer players colliding heads on the pitch. But concussions are a risk in all sports—including lacrosse.

To make the sport safer for players everywhere, NYIT Center for Sports Medicine partnered with the men’s lacrosse team on a pioneering study to understand the effect hits have on players. Ten student-athletes wore mouth guards with sensors to register all of their hits throughout the spring 2018 season. The findings should help helmet makers, coaches, players, and others understand the types and levels of hits lacrosse players receive on a repetitive basis short of causing concussions as well as the cumulative impact those hits have throughout the season on their brain function.

By understanding those impacts and their effects, coaches and equipment companies can make the equipment, drills, and other aspects of the game safer while not depriving the players of the elements of the sport they love.

Newsday was embedded with the NYIT men’s lacrosse team as the Bears repeated as undefeated East Coast Conference champions last season and went on to the NCAA Tournament. The newspaper chronicled the findings in an article and documentary that’s now available on Newsday.com.

The study was also featured on News 12 Long Island’s Hard Knocks segment with NYIT alumna Carol Silva introducing the segment, as well as on ABC7 Eyewitness News, CBS New York, and Fox 5 New York.

Assistant Professor and Director of Sports Medicine Hallie Zwibel, D.O., who conducted the study, used digital mouth guards to register the hits members of the men’s lacrosse team endured.