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Abstract
Catastrophic cervical spine injuries are injures with damage to the upper-portion of the spinal cord. Current recommendations for athletic trainers treating these injuries are based on literature for American football equipment with limited research available for other sports. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the cervical spine motion during helmet removal for various helmet types and assess athletic trainer confidence for each helmet type. Spine motion was evaluated using three-dimensional motion capture, which provided real-time feedback about the cervical spine during helmet removal. Confidence was evaluated using a five-point Likert scale and collected throughout the data collection period. There was no significant difference between cervical spine motion across all helmet types. There was a significant difference for confidence while removing American football helmets compared to men’s lacrosse and field hockey helmets. Athletic trainers are able to successfully complete tasks without training, but feel less confident in their execution.
