How Heltech’s impact sensor could benefit you, the athlete
Most concussions can be overcome just like any other injury
- If it is identified, fully rehabilitated by concussion experts and the athlete does not RTP until fully healed
- Most concussions are not recognised so the athletes are at high risk of injury-upon-injury (i.e. becoming chronic)
- Most 'Concussion Protocols' prescribe rest times that are too short for even the 'average' concussion injury
- Recovery time is driven by injury severity, not set protocols
Severe Impact experienced
Stop activity immediately (even when there are no or mild symptoms at the time)
Sub-concussive impacts
These are recorded to determine cumulative, total force experienced
Unconscious athlete
Paramedics advised of g-force severity, to help with triaging to the Emergency Department (ED)
On-going concussion symptoms
Our sensor data used by concussion rehab specialists to understand the severity of the impact
Why use a Heltech sensor?
The problem:
- How do sporting codes know if an athlete is concussed (when symptoms often don’t appear for hours or days later)?
- Most concussions go unrecognised so athletes play-on, that day and the following week – risking chronic brain injury
- A second head impact is not only more likely after the first, but it is also a much higher chance of being severe or even fatal (Secondary Impact Syndrome - SIS).
The solution:
- Heltech’s sensors indicate of how severe an impact was for the athlete with highly accurate g-force data
- Our sensors data takes all the guesswork out of the incident and allows definitive concussion testing to take place straight away.
- Remove any chance of further brain injury by not ‘playing-on’; rest up and rehab their brain injury instead
How the Heltech sensor fits into the sports concussion rehab space
Despite rule changes and sports being more professional than ever, concussions continue to haunt many sporting codes in Australia and around the world.
Most athletes don’t get treated by a concussion rehab specialist. This brain injury-treatment path is not well worn for brain injuries, despite brain rehab being a means for an athlete to often-times return better than ever.
This injury-treatment path starts with identifying when a concussion may have occurred. Identifying a concussion, whether it be by a spotter or a coach or a parent, is highly inaccurate. Whereas Heltech’s sensor is very precise and takes all the guesswork out of the situation!
Now the athlete can be removed from play and assessed.
What sort of assessment, I hear you ask?
Here are some of the types of assessments we have used ourselves, plus others that are going to change the way concussions are diagnosed and treated in the future:
Blood bio-marker testing
This technology is still in development but this pitch-side, blood prick test will change the game in concussion diagnosis by taking all the subjectivity out of the equation.
Neck injury derived concussion symptoms - Watson Headache Approach
We have used The Watson Headache Approach and they probably should be the first port of call with any impact to the head or neck rehab. The neck is likely to be injured at around 5G’s whereas a concussion is more likely to be around a peak of 80 – 90G’s (adult male).
