A concussion, technically defined as a traumatically induced alteration in mental status, does not necessarily result in loss of consciousness. This makes identifying a concussion when it occurs extremely difficult, particularly in sports where the ages range from recreational youth to professional adults.
Current methods of assessing Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) or concussions (which are considered Mild TBIs) are qualitative in nature, and as such, often lack the accuracy to correctly assess the potential for concussive injury or the urgency to take preventive action. Trauma Aware™ uniquely integrates real- time human physiological impact data with state-of-the-art neuropsychological diagnostics. The process consists of first detecting the occurrence and magnitude of impact trauma as it occurs, then rapidly testing for reduced cognitive abilities. The result is a controlled system that can immediately detect and measure traumatic physical impact and provide a complete quantitative assessment of TBI within 3 minutes of detecting an abnormality. This provides coaches, trainers and other supervisors with the ability to immediately assess the magnitude of injury resulting from a physical trauma incident in order to make optimally informed decisions.
TBI is a serious public health problem. Each year in the United States, traumatic brain injuries contribute to a substantial number of permanent disability cases and even death of. At least 1.7 million TBIs occur every year, either as an isolated injury or in conjunction with other injuries. A concussion or MTBI can be caused by a bump, blow, or jolt to the head or spinal cord that can alter the way the brain normally performs. However, an MTBI can also be the result of a blow to the body that causes the head to move rapidly back and forth. Whether it’s a “ding,” “getting your bell rung,” or what seems to be a mild bump or blow to the head, the result can be serious if undetected and left unresolved..
