Pioneering new technology helps female athletes better track and manage concussion symptoms.
Concussions remain the most common injury in rugby, and reducing their risk and alleviating short- and long-term symptoms is one of the top priorities for the sport's governing body.
A study published by the University of Birmingham found that female athletes have a higher incidence of concussions than male athletes, and may suffer more severe and long-lasting symptoms, with research suggesting that hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle may be important. It has been pointed out that this is a contributing factor.
Based on these findings, new technology is being introduced to help athletes, medical staff, and coaches better analyze the influence of the menstrual cycle on concussions and more effectively manage and track concussion symptoms. it was done.
The initiative was launched by Wales Women's Rugby and Vodafone, Founding Principal Partner of Women's Rugby, which has added the technology to its innovative PLAYER.Connect platform, which aggregates data from athletes' wearable devices in real time. , allowing for immediate analysis.
This addition allows players' concussion data to be viewed side-by-side with menstrual cycle data for the first time outside of a research environment, and also means concussion data can be captured and analyzed more frequently and quickly than ever before.
Joanna Perkins, Head Physiotherapist at Wales Women, said: “This technology provides real-time information about athletes and their symptoms, including cycle stage and potential concussion symptoms.
“This allows us to intervene more easily and also understand trends for individual players. So if we see a drop in certain data, we can determine if that is the norm for a player. can. [at that stage of her menstrual cycle] Or if it indicates something else is going on, that's very useful information to get and act on. ”
The Wales Women's Rugby team has been piloting a concussion tracking module since November 2023, including in preparation for the 2024 Guinness Women's Six Nations, and will continue to do so for the remainder of the tournament and beyond. It's a schedule.
This follows the implementation of Vodafone PLAYER.Connect’s original menstrual cycle tracking module, which has been used by the Wales Women’s Senior and Pathways teams since February 2023.
Vodafone PLAYER.Connect collects data on player performance, menstrual cycle stages, and physical and mental health by automating input from players and coaches.
Wales Women's captain Hannah Jones said ahead of this weekend's Women's Six Nations match against Ireland:
“Thanks to this app, we can see if a player's symptoms are due to a concussion or their menstrual cycle. will help you better manage your performance on the pitch.”
John Mulcahy, performance consultant for Vodafone PLAYER.Connect, said: This is the first time that comprehensive data examining how the menstrual cycle affects women's bodies is available outside of a research setting. [concussion] recovery and its symptoms.
