The Mississippi High School Activities Association (MHSAA) launched a pioneering concussion safety pilot program during the 2015-2016 school year in partnership with X2 Biosystems and the Mind Matters Foundation.
Mississippi high schools participating in the pilot program will be able to equip their student athletes with X2's “X-Patch” wearable impact sensors to enable monitoring of head impacts and concussion injury risks during athletic activities. Athletic training staff at participating high schools will also utilize X2's Integrated Concussion Evaluation (“ICE”) iPad app to ensure comprehensive management of concussions that integrates baseline neurocognitive testing, post-injury assessments to support remove-from-play decisions, and recovery and return-to-play tracking.
Concussions have become recognized as an enormous public health challenge, estimated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to account for close to $80 billion per year in the U.S. alone in direct medical costs and loss of productivity. Close to 4 million sports-related concussions are diagnosed each year in the U.S., and it is estimated that as many, if not more, remain unreported and undiagnosed. Combined figures for military, civilian and industrial concussions are estimated to be even higher.
The wide range of impairments to cognitive, motor and sensory functions that can result from concussion injuries, and the fact that these impairments are often coupled with additional emotional and behavioral symptoms, have also become major public health concerns. With the introduction of youth concussion safety laws in all 50 states as of July 2014, and growing international support for similar legislation, organizations around the world face serious challenges in complying with concussion safety requirements and protecting the brain health of athletes, soldiers and workers. These challenges cannot be addressed without tools to support monitoring and management of head-impact events and the resulting concussion injury risks.
MHSAA Executive Director Don Hinton said, “X2 Biosystems provides us with the most comprehensive and tested concussion management solution available to help monitor and reduce concussion injury risks for our student athletes, and to ensure documented compliance with all key elements of state concussion safety laws.”
Chair of MHSAA Sports Medicine Advisory Committee Mike Wilkinson said, “X2's X-Patch wearable impact sensors will allow us for the first time to begin monitoring not only concussion injury risks due to individual impacts as they happen, but also the accumulated risks that we now know can arise due to repeated impacts over time.”
The X2 platform is the first end-to-end concussion management solution that provides the complete continuum of care now being demanded by athletic, medical, military and industrial markets– from baseline testing of an individual's neurocognitive performance, tracking their exposure to and injuries from head impacts, facilitating remove-from-play decision making, structuring recovery and return-to-play readiness, and tracking long term neurocognitive brain health.
X2's ICE iPad app equips athletic trainers with a convenient mobile tool that can be used on the sideline or in the training room to track and update each player's concussion history and symptoms, along with a cloud-based data storage, analytics and reporting platform to ensure everyone from parents, coaches, trainers and medical professionals can collaborate efficiently to ensure the best possible care of student-athletes. X2's wearable X-Patch impact sensors have now achieved unmatched levels of athletic and military testing around the world. Data being gathered from these devices is already contributing significantly to a more comprehensive understanding of how to diagnose, manage and reduce the incidence of concussions in youth athletics.
Chyna Ward, executive director of the Mind Matters Foundation, said, “During spring training trials that we conducted here in Mississippi with the Ole Miss and Oxford High School football teams, we were impressed by the ease-of-use of both the X-Patch wearable impact sensors and the ICE neurocognitive evaluation software. The X-Patch sensors also proved to be a powerful tool to reduce concussion injury risk by teaching safer training and playing techniques. X2's on-field testing across a wide range of youth, high-school, collegiate, and professional athletic activities makes it an ideal solution for the large numbers of student athletes for whom we are seeking to enhance concussion safety in Mississippi and neighboring states.”
Baseline neurocognitive testing at Mississippi high schools using the X2 ICE iPad app, together with on-site X-Patch demo and training clinics, are planned throughout August as student athletes return to campus and prepare for the 2015-2016 athletic season. High schools and sports medicine providers participating in the program have expressed enthusiastic support for the pilot project.
“Gulfport High School students, parents and school administration are all excited to have access to the same X2 sideline technology being used by professional sports leagues across North America and around the world, to implement more comprehensive concussion monitoring and management for our student athletes,” said Bryan Caldwell, athletic director, Gulfport High School.
“Hattiesburg High School is excited to participate in the Mississippi High School Concussion Safety Pilot Program. Concussions can occur in any sport or physical activity and the data collected in this pilot program will add to the existing body of knowledge and benefit student athletes in Mississippi and around the country for years to come,” said Cheyenne Trussell, director of athletics and student activities, Hattiesburg Public School District.
“The Clinton High School Athletic Department is very proud to be a partner and to participate in the Mississippi High School Concussion Safety Pilot Program with X2 Biosystems and the Mind Matters Foundation. This pilot program will help many athletic programs to better understand, recognize the signs and symptoms of, and provide the information we need to better manage and reduce the risks of concussions. We want to make sure that we protect our student athletes to the best of our abilities, and the 2015-2016 pilot program is a significant step in that direction,” said J. Clay Norton, athletic director, Clinton High School.
“X2 Biosystems and the Mind Matters Foundation are providing Booneville High School with an exciting opportunity to provide our student athletes with the benefits of a comprehensive concussion safety program that spans baseline testing of each athlete's neurocognitive performance, tracking their exposure to and injuries from head impacts, and thoroughly documented processes to support remove-from-play, recovery and return-to-play decisions,” said Michael Smith, athletic director, Booneville High School.
“There is now a profound recognition here at Lewisburg High School, and in high schools across Mississippi, of the need to better protect young athletes from concussion injury risks, but also to do so in a manner that continues to support and promote participation in competitive sports. The Mississippi State High School Concussion Safety Pilot Program is a significant step in that direction. We are thrilled to be participating alongside X2 Biosystems and the Mind Matters Foundation,” said Lewisburg High School Principal Chris Fleming.
“It is an honor for Cornerstone Rehabilitation to be one of two Sports Medicine providers in the state of Mississippi chosen to take part in this cutting edge technology pilot program. X2 Biosystems is without a doubt the leader in concussion recognition and management, as evidenced by their adoption within major professional sports in the U.S., around the world, the U.S. Army, sports medicine clinics, and numerous colleges and universities across the U.S. We are proud to take part in this important effort to better ensure the safety of every student athlete,” said Steve Thompson, ATC, LAT, owner, Cornerstone Rehabilitation.
John Ralston, X2 Biosystems CEO, concluded, “The entire team here at X2 Biosystems is excited to have the opportunity to support Mississippi's High School Concussion Safety Pilot Program. Mississippi's pioneering efforts will help to accelerate state-wide rollouts of highly effective and economically viable concussion safety solutions for the tens of millions of young athletes who benefit in many important ways from participating in sporting activities, but at the same time are exposed to a wide variety of impact-related concussion risks.”
