When we think of head injuries in youth sport, we tend to think of dramatic incidents. But minor, unrecorded head impacts are often overlooked. In this article, we’ll discuss repetitive head impacts (RHIs), the importance of impact tracking, particularly in youth sports and how Impact Detects technology is turning the tide from reactive treatment to proactive prevention.
The Erosion Of White Matter
In 2023, the Boston University CTE Center ran a study that analysed the brains of 205 American football players. The findings found that athletes who played contact sports for more than 11 years showed a severe reduction in key white matter proteins—the brain’s structural cabling that allows cells to communicate.
Findings: Regardless of whether the athlete had been diagnosed with a concussion, reduced levels of proteins in the brain’s white matter as a result of RHIs were directly associated with poor impulse control and difficulty in performing daily tasks.
CTE In Young Athletes
In the same year, a study posted by JAMA Neurology examined the brains of 152 contact sports athletes from 13 to 29 years old who had been exposed to RHIs. The study analysed players of American football, ice hockey, soccer/football, rugby and wrestling.
Findings: 41.4% of the young athletes had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). There wasn’t a single catastrophic injury that caused the disease; it was the duration and accumulation of repeated minor injuries over their careers. The primary driver of CTE was duration—the more years of RHIs, the higher the risk of CTE.
Using Impact Detect To Protect Young Athletes
The proof is in the numbers. Repeated minor head injuries are a silent driver of more series long term head injuries in young athletes, but there’s only so much physical protection we can do. That’s where Impact Detect comes in.
Using Impact Detect software replaces manual guesswork on how severe an impact was by integrating a discrete impact sensor into the athlete’s helmet or equipment. The sensor detects when an impact occurs, measures the force and transmits the data to the Impact Detect App. This means that even the most minor impacts that might be overlooked will be logged and recorded to provide a bigger picture of potential risks with young athletes.
Play Smarter
Although the statistics between brain trauma and contact sports are very high amongst young athletes, Impact Detect software can be used strategically alongside standard protective equipment. If athletes are constantly coming into contact with regular impacts, it could be a sign of improper technique, such as dropping their head during a tackle. Coaches can then use these insights to improve the athletes’ technique to reduce their exposure to repetitive impacts where possible.
Visit Impact Detect to learn more about how wearable impact sensors can help safeguard your youth sports league, child or yourself.