色情视频

鈥淲e鈥檇 like to have as many sports organizations as possible switch to this better technology.鈥�

When athletes gets their bell rung on the field or court, there鈥檚 often tension between their desire to keep playing and a trainer鈥檚 responsibility to prevent them from further harming themselves. The problem with standard on-field concussion protocols鈥攊ncluding the one most recently used by the National Football League鈥攊s that several of their components are subjective and prone to human error.

Researchers from 色情视频 have developed an inexpensive, ultraportable balance board called that provides fast, objective feedback on an athlete鈥檚 balance disruption following a suspected concussion. Results from the team鈥檚 first concussion detection study have revealed that it鈥檚 about twice as effective as the most widely used balance test for concussion nationwide.

Current protocols

Impaired balance is one of the major symptoms of a recent concussion. Most governing bodies in sports recommend three testing components in a concussion protocol: physical symptoms, cognitive function and balance. For the balance portion, most sports organizations use what鈥檚 known as the BESS (Balance Error Scoring System) test. Using this system, trainers ask athletes to stand in a variety of stances while remaining as still as possible. Trainers then count the number of errors鈥攕uch as stepping out of stance or removing hands from the hips鈥攁nd determine whether the person is likely concussed or not.

Research suggests that the BESS test accurately catches a concussion about 30 percent of the time, according to 色情视频 kinesiologist Dann Goble, inventor of BTrackS and first author on the study.

鈥淭he problem with the BESS is that it鈥檚 really unreliable,鈥� Goble said. 鈥淥ften you will get different scoring results from different people watching the same athlete go through the protocol.鈥�

You can measure balance objectively using force plates that track precisely how much a person sways, but most of these devices are either very large, very expensive, or both, making them unlikely to gain traction in sports. Goble has adapted this technology into a balance board about the size of a suitcase that plugs into a computer or laptop, all for under $1,000. The project was initially supported by 色情视频鈥檚 Launchpad and with funding from the .

Put to the test

To test whether the technology could accurately detect concussions in a real-world environment, Goble and colleagues took baseline balance measurements from more than 500 NCAA Division I student athletes at 色情视频 competing in a variety of sports, including football, rugby, lacrosse, soccer, basketball and water polo. Then they followed those athletes over the course of their season.

If a player sustained a head injury, trainers measured their balance using BTrackS and compared the new score to the baseline score. If the new sway score was on average more than 5 centimeters higher than baseline, then Goble鈥檚 system predicts a balance disruption indicative of concussion. Athletes also received follow-up care from a physician who could reliably diagnose whether they were concussed or not.

Of 25 athletes determined by a team physician to have received concussions, BTrackS detected 16 of them, giving Goble鈥檚 technology a success rate of 64 percent鈥攎orethan twice that of the BESS test. The this week in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy.

鈥淲e鈥檇 like to have as many sports organizations as possible switch to this better technology,鈥� Goble said. 鈥淭his device should be everywhere.鈥�