Whether it’s Sidney Crosby in the NHL or a peewee player in a family, the risk of getting a concussion is dominating the world of Sports.
It has been difficult – if not impossible – to determine when a player might require follow-up for a possible head injury acquired during a game. So what if people knew they could detect when an impact has been substantial enough to possibly cause brain injury?
Safe Brain is proven to help take the guess-work out of head injuries. Players who have taken what appears to be a hard hit might say they are fine because they do not want to be taken out of the game. Safe Brain gives the coach or trainer a visual indicator, or a doctor the valuable downloadable impact data that determines if a player who has taken a hit may require further assessment.
Safe Brain works in two separate parts. The first is a patented Cranium Impact Analyzer (CIA) sensor, weighing less than 8 grams and approximately the size of a quarter, that is fitted onto the player’s helmet. The sensor measures the G-force as well as direction. It time stamps and stores impact information over a predefined set point.
The second component, the CIA, has a highly visible indicator that will alert training or coaching staff to the potential for a concussion, at which point an assessment can be done.
The complex Safe Brain software conducts an in-depth analysis of each event and gives the coaching staff the ability to customize logging and notification set points for each CIA sensor to each individual athlete. If a player has endured previous concussions, or is at higher risk of a concussion, the notification or logging set point can be lowered as required.
Safe Brain was designed and developed over several years by Saskatoon inventor Rod Newlove working in conjunction with the studies of Dr. Martin Mrazik of the University of Alberta, an expert in head trauma in Sports.
Mrazik has spent more than a decade studying athletes who have suffered concussions. Since 2004 he has been a consultant for the National Hockey League and the Canadian Football League. He is involved in ongoing studies with Safebrain Systems Inc. and the use of the CIA sensor to determine the correlation between cranial impact and degree of concussion.
“The best thing we can do for the players is provide immediate evaluation,” he said.
For more information visit www.safebrain.ca.
