Joe Manzo was slated to begin a public relations campaign for his company, which makes specialty mouthguards for athletes, in the second half of this year. The New York Times, Congress and the world’s most powerful sports league moved up the timing quite a bit.
The Times’ reporting on the dangers and prevalence of concussions in the NFL, Congress’ s subsequent interest, and the NFL’s begrudging admission that the subject needs study put Manzo’s Conshohocken company, Brain-Pad, squarely in the spotlight by the time winter rolled around.
“I think you’ll see us a lot more visible. They’re all talking now,” says Manzo. “You can’t sweep it under the carpet.”
He says sales of the mouthguard, which claims to greatly reduce the chance of concussions, at nationwide Wal-Mart stores have increased 55 percent in the last year, especially impressive considering most purchases are made by September, and much of the national concussion and safety talks became louder in late 2009.
While boxers and martial artists were warm to the idea when he founded the technology and company 13 years ago, those who played helmeted sports were not, what with all the emphasis that is placed on a helmet’s role in a concussion scenario.
Brain-Pads’ mouthguard is different than the traditional “boil-and-bite” varieties because it stabilizes the lower jaw by slightly lifting it and pushing it forward. That has been shown to reduce impact by more than 50 percent in some scenarios, thereby greatly reducing the likelihood of concussions. Since concussions have a cumulative effect, reducing impact could be a major factor in the health of athletes. A byproduct of the technology is it fully opens the airway, aiding breathing.
Manzo says Brain-Pad, which also makes teeth guards and chemical-free sanitzers for oral appliances like dentures, was the only mouthguard company to participate in head-drop study tests at Wayne State University. The study found his company’s product provided a 50 percent decrease in energy compared to standard mouthguards.
“You’d think that people like the NFL would be all over that,” says Manzo. “Helmet manufacturers were afraid of the whole scene.”
A couple million units are already being worn in more than dozen sports at most every level. Most notably, Seattle Seahawks tight end Owen Smith uses the product.
