An app will track concussion symptoms and treatment in grassroots sports for a two-year British government study. The trial, open to any grassroots organisation, could reveal the prevalence of head injuries in amateur sports.
The Concussion Guidelines for Grassroots Sport, new rules announced this year by the government and the Sports and Recreation Alliance, will ultimately be evaluated using data.
Stuart Andrew, the minister of sport, encouraged amateur teams and organizations to participate in the trial. Sport is essential to our physical and mental health, so we must prioritize safety for all participants,” he said. “In addition to our guidance, technology plays a crucial role in tracking and measuring the incidence of concussion at the grassroots level.”
SportSmart is the free app to be used in the investigation.
The app has 165,000 users in the UK, as described by its creators, the sports injury charity Podium Analytics. As a digital platform that “enables risk management and injury prevention” at schools and sports clubs. Its “concussion recognition and symptom severity tool” alerts coaches and teachers of probable concussions using a traffic light system.
Podium Analytics CEO Andy Hunt said the software was created to fill a grassroots head injury reporting vacuum. Only 2% of schools and grassroots sports clubs in the UK have a system for recording and managing sport-related concussion,” he said. “For organizations to successfully implement the new government concussion guidelines. A centralized digital system for recording and managing head injury incidents is required.”
In April, the government issued its first recommendations for the treatment of concussions in amateur sports. Coaches, teachers and referees were advised to withdraw concussed players off the pitch and have them evaluated by a doctor.
Concussion victims should avoid contact sports for 21 days and resume training after 14 days. The guidance lists the following signs and symptoms of concussion: disorientation, vertigo, mental clouding, visual problems, “pressure in the head,” and sensitivity to light and sound.
The guidelines state, “It can be difficult to detect head impacts and visible signs of concussion in fast-paced sports.” Players, coaches, teachers, officials, spectators, and families must swiftly remove suspected concussions from play.
