A mouthguard would detect concussions of the athlete

In March 2014, former Scottish rugby player Rory Lamont denounced the significant number of concussions on rugby pitches. A cry of anger heard? May be. In any case, a new accessory for contact sports could allow athletes to know when it’s time to stay on the sidelines, if they want not to diminish their brain capacity, following a mild head injury.

An LED system on the front of the mouthguard
Indeed, in addition to protecting the teeth, the “FITGuard” mouthguard also makes it possible to assess the risks incurred by an athlete when he receives a blow. How? ‘Or’ What ? The system is very simple. An LED system lights up blue in the event of a low-risk impact, but changes to red if the hit received is greater. In this case, this indicates that the athlete has a 50% risk of suffering from a concussion.
And so you don’t miss a dangerous impact, the LEDs are highly visible on the front of the mouthguard, so coaches and other players can quickly be alerted to the slightest risk of an accident. In addition, after the impact, the data related to the shock received is analyzed by an application, then sent to a smartphone and a data center.

“The FITGuard will allow parents, coaches and federations to follow the usual protocol in the event of concussion while having quantitative data to support their conclusions”, affirms in a video posted on YouTube Anthony Gonzales, the co-developer of this product. “We want to provide them with the tools to make informed decisions about the safety of athletes, and reduce the traumatic effects of brain injuries. “

Two Top 14 concussions per day

Of course, FITGuard is by no means the silver bullet. We will have to wait a little longer since the device is currently in the test phase. The development of this product shows, however, that the prevention of concussions is a major public health concern. As proof, the American Football League gave $ 30 million to the National Institutes of Health for research to be carried out in this area. And this week, the President of the United States, in person, was scheduled to open a summit on concussion prevention in sport.
As a reminder, the American authorities estimate that 10% of athletes, or about 3.8 million Americans suffer from concussion once a year. In addition, 47% of athletes do not report their injuries.
And even in France, the finding is worrying. Because these events are not uncommon in the professional French rugby championship. The French rugby federation (FFR) counted two per day of the Top 14 championship in 2013. And there is only KO in 15% of cases … which makes it all the more important to give time to the diagnosis, some recently specified. experts in why actor.