STRONG NECK, SOUND MIND: UNCW RESEARCHERS MAKING HEADWAY IN SPORTS, MILITARY INJURY PREVENTION EFFORTS.

• Author: Bailey, Jack

Sports and the military are closely intertwined in Americas culture. The singing of the National Anthem, fighter jet flyovers and troop tributes are mainstays at major sporting events. UNC Wilmington faculty members Alex McDaniel and Lindsey Schroeder have invented a device that will help prevent potentially life-altering injuries in both fields.

In 2017, Drs. McDaniel and Schroeder began researching mild traumatic brain injury in athletics. McDaniel found that researchers were studying ways to improve neck strength to ward off potential traumatic brain injuries in athletes, but no one was focusing on the same issue in the military.

Concussions, a form of mild traumatic brain injury, are caused by an impact that moves the brain within the skull and can lead to problems with thinking, concentration, mood and other neurological changes.

Military paratroopers are especially vulnerable to the recurrence of concussions. They can land at a speed between 15 to 20 miles an hour while carrying 100 to 150 pounds of gear.

"Small, repetitive blows impact the brain, so every time they launch their parachute is going to add up over time. Other landings can be quite impactful, and the concussions are immediate," said Schroeder.

"In the 82nd Airborne, the number one cause of decreased military readiness is brain trauma from parachute landings," said McDaniel. "We asked, 'Is there anyone taking care of this?' and saw an opportunity."

A neck that is stronger, thicker or in a neutral posture--with the ears aligned with the shoulders--may reduce the amount of energy transferred to the brain during an impact, reducing the risk and severity of injury.

In 2022, Drs. McDaniel and Schroeder were awarded a $110,000 Translational Research Grant from the North Carolina Biotechnology Center to develop an enhanced prototype of their neck strength assessment tool, rigorously test it, and work toward approval from the Food and Drug Administration to manufacture it as a medical device.

The research efforts of the UNCW team, which included Justin Streuli from the Office of Innovation and Commercialization, Bill Kawczynski from the Office of Military Affairs and multiple community partners, were aimed at solving one critical problem: reducing the risk of sustaining a mild traumatic brain injury from parachute landing amongst the 82nd Airborne paratroopers. Additionally, the developed protocol and product would serve athletic organizations with a measured high risk of...