The support of the head and neck complex is critical in all activities including sport, powersports, safety and the military. Attempts to support the neck have failed due to restriction in functional range of motion and comfort. Kapsul Tech is proud to announce its release of the Atlas Shirt. The Atlas shirt provides unparalleled, unrestricted protection and performance enhancement to the Head/Neck complex. Unparalleled, since Kapsul Technology is the only Dynamic Neck Stabilization Technology (DNST) product on the market, in the field, on the field, in the snow or wherever sport or activity happens. Kapsul’s patented solution helps protect the neck (and brain) through the dissipation of force. These forces can include Concussive Force, Repetitive Sub-Concussive Trauma, Posture and Vibration. The technology uses proprietary medical-grade, rate absorptive, viscoelastic foams against the skin and across joints to reduce joint acceleration, under stress and/or strain. The dissipation of force increases joint stability through reducing the load on active (muscles) and passive (ligaments, joint surfaces, etc.) support systems. It also mitigates the risk of injury, pain, strain, and fatigue to empower athletes and service members to do what they love, at their highest level, for as long as possible. All this in a form where the user barely feels it is there, until support is required.
Kapsul Tech was formed in 2015, built around the idea of empowering athletes and service members to do what they love longer through the provision of enhanced support to critical areas of the body. Kapsul is supported by leading edge research facilities and a consortium of Orthopaedic Surgeons, who are responsible for the Worlds leading athletes, including the NFL, CFL, NHL, MLB, NBA, Rugby and World Cup Skiing. The Kapsul Atlas was designed to seamlessly integrate into existing equipment under a variety of conditions and environments.
Why the Neck? To this point there is no solution that supports the neck that does not hinder the neck’s ability to move with an unrestricted range of motion. On the field or battlefield, this range of motion is crucial to optimal performance. Joint mobility comes at a cost. The more mobile the joint, the less stable those joints are. Your neck is especially vulnerable when you perform activities that tire the muscles and challenge ligaments and soft tissues that are the joints’ natural support system. This weakening of your neck’s natural support system and destabilization of its joints render you more susceptible to serious injury and pain from sudden impacts, low-force impacts, repetitive motion, and prolonged postural positions. The neck also controls the motion of the head and the brain housed within it. Acceleration/Deceleration of the neck create a relative acceleration of the brain inside the skull. Support and control of these motions in the head may protect the brain, particularly in conditions that don’t involve blunt force trauma directly to the head.
How does this relate to service members? Members of the military are athletes in their own right. Asked to perform tasks under duress and while carrying heavy loads. Body armor, helmets, night vision and weapon systems all place extreme load on the body. Additionally, the tasks we ask service members to complete, parachute insertion, mobility operations and general combat operations, while wearing kit, produce countless injuries and long-term disability. Kapsul understands this problem and its transition to military products was the clear next step. Actually, the product was born, designed and tested with the military athlete in mind. No single sporting category has the physical demands of the military athlete and injury statistics clearly demonstrate this. Kapsul Tactical will provide stand-alone solutions such as the Atlas shirt, and they are currently working with elements of USSOCOM and CANSOFCOM to develop the next generation of Kapsul protections. These innovations will include the complete integration of the Kapsul collar with existing Programs of Record, including combat shirts, flight suits, dry suits and tactical vests.
While the neck was its first choice, given the number 1 and 2 injuries sustained by US Forces were TBI and Neck Injury, Kapsul is also working to develop integrated support systems for other areas of the body, like the lower back and knees. Lots more to come from Kapsul!
More info on Kapsul and the Atlas Shirt can be found at www.kapsultech.com.
As somebody who has broken his neck and back 4 times and sustained permanent debilitating damage and permanent severe chronic pain, this is an awesome piece of technology that has been needed for a long time.