Knowledge News and Insights

There is growing concern internationally about the incidence of sport-related concussions and the health ramifications for athletes. Primary concerns are around the time required to gradually return to school, work, and sports after sustaining a concussion. While medical professionals have put in place return-to-play guidelines, incorrect concussion management and failure to follow protocols can have a detrimental impact on brain injury rehabilitation. Recent studies have shown that early intervention post-concussion incidences are linked to faster recovery. Therefore, improving concussion awareness and education amongst athletes, parents, teachers, coaches, and support staff is crucial.

A head impact by either a direct blow or indirect transmission of force can be associated with a serious and potentially fatal brain injury. Therefore, any athlete with a suspected concussion must be immediately removed from play to undergo a concussion test commonly referred to as the Sports Concussion Assessment Tool, or SCAT. Concussion signs and symptoms may evolve over time and failure to conduct a concussion assessment can lead to long-term cognitive and physical injuries.

The Crusaders win again! Another Super Rugby championship for HITIQ's client the Crusaders, ensuring they remain the most successful team in the competitions history.

The Crusaders win again! Another Super Rugby championship for HITIQ's client the Crusaders, ensuring they remain the most successful team in the competitions history.

HITIQ technology is being used by scientists in the USA to better understand impacts in football. But how will the technology and increased understanding it brings off the field, translate into increased player safety on it?

The awareness of head impacts and concussion in sport is rising quickly as more research into the long term effects of these types of injuries is being conducted. At HitIQ, we believe in the importance of measuring the head impacts that sports people are exposed to in order to support their wellbeing and long term health.

Female sport is on the up. Record levels of participation at grassroots have been inspired by growing professionalism and elite performance amongst the very best. FIFA has described women’s football as the ‘single biggest growth opportunity in football’. World Rugby states that a quarter of the playing population is now female with a 28% increase in registered players since 2017. A similar story exists in Australia where latest figures show that 40% of grassroots Aussie rules players are female, up from 30% in 2017 when the AFLW launched.

Most people who have suffered a concussion will have been advised that rest and relaxation should be the mainstay of their recovery strategy. However, new evidence suggests that a gradual return to aerobic exercise could be the best treatment, particularly in young people.

There is growing concern that the accumulation of head impacts during a sportsperson's career could lead to issues associated with long-term brain health.

Virginia Tech (VT) Helmet Lab is one of the leading helmet and impact instrumentation research organisations in the world. It is regarded by some as the gold standard in impact instrumentation validation.

In sports where contact and collision are frequent there is a risk of concussion and the long term effects of multiple head impacts. When looking to minimise the risk caused by such incidences it is important to understand what type of impact has occurred, whether the forces were linear or rotational, and how those forces effected the brain.