In the ground of athletics, a common discussion of coaches, administrators, athletes, and the media surrounds player safety and concussions. Even though the majority of concussions are not associated with a loss of consciousness, the long term affects of these sometimes minor traumatic brain injuries. Concussions can occur in many sports, with the NCAA rating Women’s Hockey as the collegiate sport with the highest rate of reported concussions. Concussions are type of Traumatic brain injury that can occur during any blow to the head or blow to the body that cause the head to move back and forth rapidly. 90% of concussions are not associated with loss of consciousness.
Concussion Facts
- NCAA highest rate of reported concussions in women’s hockey.
- 5 % of sports and recreation related TBI emergency department visits were among 10 -10 year old kids.
- 15% of sports related injuries in high school athletes are from concussion.
- 62% increase in emergency department visits for sports and recreation related TBI’s including concussions among children and adolescents.
Concussions Causes
- Across 9 sports, nearly one 1 in 10 injuries is due to TBI.
- The greatest number of TBI related emergency department visits include bicycling, football, playground activities, basket ball and soccer.
- The highest rates of severe concussions 11.8% in boys’ soccer and 8.9% in girls volley ball.
- The more high school soccer players sustained concussions than athletes in basketball, baseball and wrestling and softball.
Concussions Prevention Tools
- The recent research says that NFL has created a $30 million to national institute of health to facilitate research towards protecting against TBI.
- X2 Bio systems – this is a neurological assessment app that scores according to player’s memory, concentration and confusion based on their history with concussion. It is also developing a sensor patch worn around the neck called X-patch which allows transferring data on impacts to a mobile device.
- Side Line response system – A sensor system integrated with the riddle helmets messieurs every head impact the players experience. If the impact meets certain threshold based input SRS send wireless notification to the staff for safe lines. The SRS program is currently used in 20 NCAA programs.