These advanced technologies can keep athletes in top form and empower them to stay in the game.
In the world of sports, injuries are an unfortunate reality. Athletes push their bodies to the limit, exposing themselves to potential harm. However, advancements in technology have brought about innovative solutions to enhance athlete safety, prevent injuries and aid in recovery. In this article, we will explore some of the most common technologies that have proven effective in safeguarding athletes and promoting their overall well-being.
Wearable sensor technology
Wearable sensors have revolutionized sports injury prevention and performance monitoring. These compact, lightweight devices can be integrated into clothing, equipment or worn directly on the body. They provide real-time data on various parameters, such as heart rate, body temperature, hydration levels and even biomechanical movements.
The analysis of this data enables coaches and trainers to identify potential risks, monitor training intensity and make informed decisions to prevent overexertion and injuries. They also help address the rampant underreporting and trivializing of injuries, preventing prolonged recovery periods and more severe cognitive or physical impairment. Here are some examples of wearable sensors making strides in athlete safety:
- FITGuard: An innovative mouth guard equipped with LED lights to monitor the severity and frequency of head impacts, supplementing injury findings where visible symptoms may not be apparent. The recorded data is then relayed to FitApp, FITGuard’s proprietary app, which tracks the impact history, offering an insight into the athlete’s average exposure to impacts and its influence on their physical and cognitive performance.
- Zephyr BioHarness: A lightweight chest device that gauges player movement, speed and impact forces, transmitting this data to a nearby device via Bluetooth. It enables the tracking of player movements and the identification of players at higher injury risk.
- Sensoria Socks: Smart socks by Sensoria offer a gamut of data, including distance covered, steps taken per minute, stride length and ground contact time. Paired with the Sensoria Walk app, these socks help monitor and assess rehabilitation efforts.
- Q-Collar: A wearable device designed to protect the skull, thus reducing head injuries. It applies light pressure to the jugular veins, increasing blood volume inside the head and reducing brain movement upon impact.
With the power of wearable sensors, athletes can maximize their performance while prioritizing safety and well-being.
Injury risk assessment
Risk assessment tools have surfaced as indispensable assets for sports teams and athletes to comprehend and manage injury risks. Leveraging advanced analytics and algorithms, these tools assess various data points—ranging from an athlete’s injury history and training load to biomechanics (i.e. the science of movement) and medical records. This integrated data analysis allows risk assessment tools to furnish athletes with an estimation of their relative injury risks and enable teams to pinpoint when players are more susceptible to injuries.
Take, for example, Kitman Labs. Established in 2012, this sports analytics company is committed to augmenting players’ health using AI. On February 23, 2022, Kitman Labs unveiled Risk Advisor, a daily injury risk analytics tool designed to help teams discern when players are at heightened injury risk. By linking athletes’ data to the Intelligence Platform—a comprehensive data management platform catering to sports organizations—Risk Advisor can import a team’s data to provide athletes with an understanding of their relative injury risks.
Employing a Risk Advisor allows teams to evaluate injury risk levels effectively, thereby optimizing player safety. This is advantageous for both the teams and individual athletes, as it enables coaches and medical staff to collaborate with players to formulate plans via Risk Advisor. By enhancing players’ availability and performance, the tool contributes to a decreased injury risk and mitigates potential losses.
Advanced recovery systems
Recovery sits at the heart of both injury prevention and overall athletic performance. Technology has fostered the development of a plethora of advanced recovery systems, gaining widespread popularity among athletes. Here’s a rundown of some exemplary systems:
- Cryotherapy: This technique subjects the body to extremely cold temperatures to reduce inflammation, alleviate muscle soreness and promote faster recovery.
- Pneumatic compression devices: These devices apply controlled pressure to specific body parts. This aids in enhancing blood circulation, reducing swelling, flushing out metabolic waste and accelerating the recovery of muscles and soft tissues.
- Cold-water immersion: Mirroring the benefits of cryotherapy, cold-water immersion involves immersing the body or specific body parts in cold water. This method aids in reducing inflammation, alleviating muscle soreness and fostering recovery by constricting blood vessels and decreasing metabolic activity.
- Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) injections: PRP therapy involves extracting a small amount of the athlete’s blood, processing it to concentrate platelets and then injecting the platelet-rich plasma into the injured site. Platelets are packed with growth factors that induce tissue repair and regeneration, making PRP therapy an innovative approach for accelerating healing in sports injuries.
The integration of these advanced recovery systems into training regimes and injury prevention protocols allows athletes to enhance their recuperation, minimize downtime and elevate their performance, whether on the field or court.
Virtual reality for rehabilitation
Not merely confined to the domains of entertainment, education and business, virtual reality (VR) technology is carving out a significant role in the arena of sports injury rehabilitation. VR systems usher athletes into immersive experiences, proving instrumental in both physical therapy and mental conditioning during the recuperation process. By emulating real-world environments and movements, VR lends support to athletes in reclaiming strength, coordination and balance. Beyond this, VR plays a crucial role in managing pain, sharpening focus and sustaining motivation throughout the rehabilitation journey.
Take the University of Alabama, for instance. The institution has harnessed VR technology to enhance athlete engagement and motivation during rehab, transforming often monotonous athletic rehab sessions into gamified experiences. The result? Athletes are more inclined to don a VR headset and immerse themselves in their rehabilitation work.
Currently, the university employs the HTC Vive headset, operated via a laptop or computer. This headset can interface with conventional monitors, allowing athletic trainers to see exactly what the athlete is experiencing on a larger screen. This synchronization enables trainers to provide immediate coaching instructions and guidance during gameplay, thereby heightening the effectiveness of the VR rehabilitation experience.
Another notable instance of VR applications to assist in injury prevention is the Strivr program developed by the eponymous company. In essence, Strivr provides an immersive training environment wherein coaches can evaluate performances and offer feedback in real time. Moreover, it reduces athletes’ reliance on teammates during practice, enabling them to focus on individual improvement without distractions. Regular use of VR technology holds the promise of preventing avoidable injuries. In fact, NFL teams such as the Broncos, Steelers, Bears, and Vikings, as well as two NBA teams, have adopted the VR program to assist in their practice sessions.
Technological innovations continue to transform fields far and wide, including sports injury rehabilitation. These developments promise a future where quicker recoveries might become the norm. But, regardless of any technology, remember: safety comes first. Always warm up before engaging in any sports activity!
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