{"id":1836,"date":"2017-03-31T13:15:16","date_gmt":"2017-03-31T13:15:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.porticomagazine.ca\/?p=1836"},"modified":"2020-10-28T14:40:24","modified_gmt":"2020-10-28T18:40:24","slug":"tackling-concussions-head-on","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/porticomagazine.ca\/2017\/03\/tackling-concussions-head-on\/","title":{"rendered":"Tackling concussions, head-on"},"content":{"rendered":"

As a rugby player, Harrison Brown knows what it\u2019s like to get a concussion, but he didn\u2019t always receive the right medical treatment. During a high school rugby game, he was hit so hard, he stumbled off the field and vomited. It was a teammate \u2014 not a coach \u2014 who advised him to sit out for the rest of the game.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening on the sidelines is either nothing, or they\u2019re using a piece of paper to perform a subjective test,\u201d says Brown, who now researches concussions at the University of British Columbia (UBC) where he is a PhD candidate in sensorimotor physiology.<\/p>\n

\"Harrison<\/a>
Harrison Brown<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Government of Canada statistics show that football, soccer and hockey head injuries among youth have increased by more than 40 per cent. Brown wanted to bridge the gap between concussion testing in the lab and on the sidelines.<\/p>\n

In 2016, Brown co-founded HeadCheck Health<\/a> and developed a mobile app that trainers and coaches can use during a game to assess potential concussions. The HeadCheck app consists of a series of eight test modules that cover cognition, balance and memory. The tests are conducted before a head injury to establish a player\u2019s baseline and after a brain-rattling impact. \u201cIt\u2019s a quick, accurate way to perform both sideline and post-injury tests for concussions,\u201d says Brown. The test takes about 10 minutes to complete.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s happening on the sidelines is either nothing, or they\u2019re using a piece of paper to perform a subjective test.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The app is based on the Sport Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT3), which uses a series of tests to evaluate a player\u2019s symp- toms following a blow to the head. Testing balance, cognition or memory alone won\u2019t provide enough information to assess whether someone has a concussion. \u201cThe best way to do it is to test multiple functions of the brain,\u201d says Brown, B.Sc. \u201910. \u201cYou get a very broad picture of somebody\u2019s brain health.\u201d<\/p>\n

To test balance using the app, the player is asked to stand in three different positions: stand with eyes closed and hands on the hips; position one foot in front of the other heel to toe; and stand on the non-dominant leg with the other leg raised. Brown and his team are developing a headband with sensors that will help measure a player\u2019s balance more accurately.<\/p>\n

The app delivers real-time results but doesn\u2019t recommend whether a player should be pulled from the game; that decision is left up to the user. Every concus- sion and player is different, Brown explains, and what causes a concussion in one player may not affect another in the same way. The extent of the injury depends on the player and other variables, including the direction and force of impact, neck positioning and the amount of fluid in the brain.<\/p>\n

Sixty teams representing 1,800 athletes at various levels are using the app, as well as all of UBC\u2019s varsity teams. \u201cThey said it was an important investment in the health of their athletes,\u201d Brown says of UBC\u2019s endorsement. \u201cWe did this to improve the health of athletes and protect them.\u201d<\/p>\n

Concussion awareness has grown since Brown was in high school. \u201cI wasn\u2019t educated on concussions. I didn\u2019t know that I needed to be tested. I didn\u2019t know that there should have been someone there to make sure I was OK and make the decision as to whether I could play or not.\u201d Now that he knows about the dangers of playing with a concus- sion, he says, \u201cIt\u2019s a little bit scary to know that I experienced that.\u201d\u2013 SUSAN BUBAK<\/p>\n

\n

\f<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As a rugby player, Harrison Brown knows what it\u2019s like to get a concussion, but he didn\u2019t always receive the right medical treatment. During a high school rugby game, he was hit so hard, he stumbled off the field and vomited. 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