Concussion is one of the biggest issues in contact sport, particularly in football where players are forced into premature retirement each year.
One company claims its device can accurately determine if someone is concussed and is calling for the AFL to introduce its technology across the league.
Sean Tasker was an inaugural Crow and has fond memories of playing in a North Adelaide premiership but there are some games he doesn’t remember at all.
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“There was one time when I was absolutely cleaned up at Norwood Oval and I think it was Tom Warhurst that got me and that was pretty bad, did some damage and got propped up in the goal square,” he told 9News.
“I don’t really remember much of the second half of the game but that was just the way it was.”
From his own debilitating headaches to seeing children suffering head injuries through his PE teaching career, Tasker decided to be part of the solution.
“I just wanted to make sure boys were safe when they went back to playing their sport. I didn’t want them to suffer that second concussion impact zone,” he said.
Tasker became involved with Neuroflex, a virtual reality device which measures brain to eye reflexes in order to record a baseline score.
In the event of a head injury, a follow-up test determines if a concussion has occurred.
Neuroflex’s Dr David Stevens explained that if there’s damage to one part of the brain, it can often affect the ability to do simple head and eye movements.
The testing has been adopted by soccer, rugby clubs and professional cycling teams in Britain.
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Closer to home, North Adelaide in the SANFL and AFL clubs Port Adelaide and Gold Coast have jumped onboard.
The AFL, which last year recorded 69 concussions, mandates baseline testing but how it’s done is up to the individual clubs.
“Concussion experts globally have indicated that this is the gold standard in concussion care moving forward and we would like to see it rolled out in all of Australia,” Stevens said.
The AFL and AFLW both have a 12-day “return to play” protocol, while for community and junior football, it’s 21 days.
But the makers of Neuroflex said every person is different and the device determines exactly when its safe to resume.
“I think it should be implemented across the board and looked at more seriously,” Tasker said.
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Each test costs about $50 after a health rebate.
Tasker believes it’s a small price to pay to protect future generations as he wonders what long-term effects are still awaiting him.
“You know in the back of your head that there’s always that situation that could occur later on in life,” he said.
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