Brain Health Analytics for Life and Sport

During a meet, the undefeated 125lb freshman wrestling sensation was thrown to the mat by his opponent, landing on the side of his face. At the conclusion of the round, the wrestler called a medical timeout and reported nausea, dizziness, and feeling imbalanced. After bringing the athlete for further examination, the team athletic trainer deployed the SyncThink platform, suspecting some level of impairment. However, the smooth pursuit results were normal. Now suspecting a vestibular-balance dysfunction, the athletic trainer quickly assessed the wrestler with components of the VOMS. This made the wrestler feel worse, and as a result, the athletic trainer decided to discontinue the match.

Additional tests determined the wrestler had developed visual motion sensitivity (VMS), meaning he would need to undergo a specific and more intensive rehabilitation program in the coming days to improve dynamic balance and orientation before he could resume wrestling. This targeted approach allowed the wrestler to return ten days later – just prior to the NCAA championships – where he placed 2nd.

The linchpin on the football team experienced a bad headache after several head-to-head collisions during the biggest game of the year. Removed from play during the second quarter, the SyncThink Platform was deployed by the treating clinician, and it showed normal ocular-motor function.

Additional tests confirmed the athletic trainer’s suspicion that his symptoms were more closely related to the onset of a migraine headache, something the player had a history of suffering from. After further testing ruled out a head injury, the player was given a cup of coffee at halftime. Shortly after, he felt asymptomatic. He returned to play and scored the winning touchdown.

After practice, a soccer player reported a headache and dizziness. Suspecting a head injury, she reported to the athletic trainer, who immediately deployed the SyncThink platform as part of her clinical examination. Results were normal for all platform assessments. Given these normal results, the athletic trainer became suspicious her symptoms may be of cervicogenic origin. Upon examination a C5/C6 cervical rotation and corresponding muscle spasm was found.

The athletic trainer provided manual therapy techniques to correct the cervical misalignment and alleviate muscle tension and spasm, and by the next morning the player was asymptomatic. By using the SyncThink platform as part of her clinical exam, the athletic trainer was able to confidently identify the player’s symptoms were related to neck whiplash, treat it, and return the player to the field—just in time to join the U.S. National Team and score her first international goal.

At a championship football game, a player was slow to get up and was clearly disoriented as he made his way to the sidelines. The athletic trainer suspected a potential ocular-motor impairment, and as part of their examination, they used the SyncThink platform to confirm. The 60-second assessment showed massive eye movement saccades, with obvious evidence of the eye jumping ahead in incorrect prediction.

As a result, it was clear to the athletic trainer that the player wasn’t safe to play the rest of the game. As part of their management protocol, the athlete began a return to play progression the next day, where daily assessments were performed to see when the patient had returned to their previous values.