Monitoring Individuals at Risk for Traumatic Brain Injury

The project will create an affordable system to monitor adolescent athletes in contact sports to identify individuals at risk for traumatic brain injury from continual sub-concussive impacts. The need is to reduce the risk of long term brain injury by providing tools to tell when it's risky/safe to play and find areas where strength training and technique may reduce risk on an individual level. The system will create a cumulative, personalized history and profile of impacts including sub-concussive impacts for use in long-term risk management. The data will available on web interfaces custom designed for parents and coaches. The log will give parents and athletes an overall picture of the risk in comparisons to other athletes to allow them to make better decisions. Coaches and trainers will have software that will show impact data for individuals of the team. These data will help coaches and trainers find players who are using incorrect techniques for activities such as tackling with the helmet. It can also help identify players who should be watched more closely due to unusual impact data to determine the cause. Solutions could involve more strength training, changing their style of play or stopping play in the sport.