CONCUSSION INITIATIVE A WORLD FIRST

Australian speedway is the safest in the world, and the next phase of preventative measures to maintain that position are about to be trialled at selected events this season. Speedway Australia has partnered with a world-leading Australian-based company to trial cutting-edge assessment and management technology, providing piece of mind for competitors and their loved ones.

Concussion is a hot topic in all forms of sport at present, and motorsport is not immune from these risks. Of particular importance are issues such as second impact syndrome - described as occurring when an individual sustains a second head injury before the symptoms associated with the initial injury have fully cleared. Speedway also has a high proportion of female competitors competing on an equal basis with males (of all ages), and research indicates that in sports with similar playing rules, the reported incidence of concussion is higher in females than males.

ConcussionPRO Baseline System (CBS) is a breakthrough medical system developed in collaboration with the United States military and field tested in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. The CBS system provides real time, accurate and fast assessments for the analysis of concussion, head trauma and cognitive/balance disorders. The CBS system is the only two-factor (balance and cognition) concussion management system in existence today that uses gold standard force plate technology.

The CBS suite of products, software and algorithms, through a series of three non-invasive assessments (duration less than 5 minutes), securely record and analyze data allowing results to be compared against an individuals pre-determined baseline or a system generated “dynamic mean” based on gender and age demographic. All data is securely stored in the CBS fully encrypted and patented online site for historical review, accessible when required in the event of a competitor on-track incident, to assess whether they are fit to return to racing.

With two of these systems out in the field on a trial basis, there’s a good chance you’ll see them in action sometime this season.