Can That Mouth Guard Really Prevent A Concussion?

The NFL has taken numerous steps to make the game safer. Concussions have been big news, with awareness and concern about sport-related head injuries at an all-time high. One result of this — more companies promoting anti-concussion products.

An email from a company called Battle Sports Science last week said it was promoting a new football chin strap device called the Impact Indicator. The language was, to say the least, positive. The Impact Indicator can help "curb concussions" on the field, according to the email. This revolutionary product is the only one players can wear to help detect a possible head injury "before it's too late," it says.

This kind of language rankles Dave Halstead, technical adviser to the National Football League Player's Association and recently retired director of the Sports Biomechanics Impact Research Laboratory at the University of Tennessee.

"Anybody who sits down with you and says I have a device that if your child wears it will either diagnose a concussion or prevent a concussion is lying," Halstead says.

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NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell answers questions from the media after speaking about concussions Monday at the Congress of Neurological Surgeons in Washington, D.C.