Vodafone Takes Concussion Tech To The Next Level
Vodafone has added new concussion tracking technology to its PLAYER.Connect platform, to help female athletes better track and manage the symptoms of concussion.
The implementation of the new tech comes after research published by the University of Birmingham suggested that female athletes may suffer both a higher rate of concussion and more severe and prolonged symptoms than their male counterparts, with the hormone variation during the menstrual cycle noted in the research as a key factor.
By integrating concussion tracking into its PLAYER.Connect platform, Vodafone aims to help ‘athletes, medical staff and coaches better analyse the impact of the menstrual cycle on concussion and more effectively manage and track concussion symptoms.’
The addition will enable players’ concussion data to be viewed side by side with their menstrual cycle data outside of a research environment for the first time. It also means concussion data can be captured and analysed more frequently and quickly than ever before.
Vodafone PLAYER.Connect gathers data on players’ performance, menstrual cycle phases and mental and physical wellbeing, by automating input from players and coaches. The new concussion module helps track symptoms including headaches, nausea and balance by integrating a digital version of the SCAT5 symptom evaluation protocol, as well as monitoring recovery.
“The app gives us the ability to see if a player’s symptoms are caused by a concussion or by the phases of their menstrual cycle. This helps us, the staff and our coaches to better manage our health, wellbeing and ultimately our performance out on the pitch.”
Hannah Jones, Wales Women’s Captain
The mobile-first platform also allows players, medical staff and coaches to monitor athletes’ health and wellbeing even when outside of training camp.
Given Vodafone’s role as a founding principal partner of Wales Women’s and Girl’s Rugby, the Wales Women’s rugby team has been trialling the Vodafone PLAYER.Connect concussion tracking module since November 2023, including in the lead up to the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations.
Joanna Perkins, Head Physiotherapist, Wales Women, commented, “Vodafone PLAYER.Connect gives us real time information on our athletes and their symptoms, including their cycle phases and any potential concussion symptoms. This lets us intervene more easily as well as enabling us to capture trends for individual players too.
“So, if we see a drop in certain data, we can determine if it’s the norm for the player [at that stage of her menstrual cycle] or if it is indicating that something else is going on, which is incredibly useful information to have and act on.”
Hannah Jones, Wales Women’s Captain, added,“Concussion monitoring is really important for players, so being able to track and monitor this type of data through Vodafone PLAYER.Connect is amazing. The app gives us the ability to see if a player’s symptoms are caused by a concussion or by the phases of their menstrual cycle. This helps us, the staff and our coaches to better manage our health, wellbeing and ultimately our performance out on the pitch.”
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