TRENDS
Damage report
Electronic mouthguards tell the story of concussive hits from the moment of impact , providing invaluable data on brain injuries .
BY IAN RANSOM 07
PHOTO BY CRAIG CRESSWELL / PROSPORTS f all the challenges professional sports face today , concussions may be the biggest headache . Leagues fear they could pose an existential threat to sports as parents dissuade their children from participating in high-contact competition . Meanwhile , athletes fear for their health and safety decades after their sports careers have ended .
Understanding concussions has become an urgent mission , and one tech firm has quite literally taken the bit between its teeth . Australia-based HitIQ produces electronic mouthguards that “ talk ,” and the hard-hitting stories they tell have the potential to change the way contact sports are played around the world .
BLOW-BY-BLOW MEASURE OF IMPACT Minimizing the effects of a concussion is a top priority for both athletes and sports leagues , which is no surprise given what ’ s at stake . The short-term effects — including headaches , loss of concentration , balance issues and memory loss — are debilitating enough . However , long-term effects of repeated blows to the head can be much more severe and lead to neurodegenerative diseases .
While sports have strengthened measures to protect players , and team doctors conduct basic concussion tests after a head clash on the field , the