Introduction

Each year over 3 million high school

athletes suffer from a concussion.A
concussion is caused when the body is
jolted in such a way that the brain collides
with the skull. Many of these injuries go
unreported as a result of lack of knowledge
and fear of less play time. This study
utilizes an orginal app called Impact
Tracker, allowing users to track and
manage their own injuries. Essentially,
this app will provide the user with the
ability to visualize their injury in a sense
that they can self-test themselves while
providing data.

Proposed Results

Data Analysis of High School Sport

Related Concussion Utilizing an
App
Proposed Methodology

Purpose
The purpose of this study is to develop an
app used to collect data to determine and
evaluate concussion trends amongst various
high school level sports. This will be done
by comparing baseline tests between all
sports, post injury symptoms between
individual athletes of the same age, who
participate in the same sport, or athletes
who play the same position. These
determined trends can then be used in
terms of implicating a more customized
approach to concussion safety and
prevention, sport by sport.

Review of Literature

The large scope of this project is to first develop and test Impact Tracker, begin collecting data
utilizing the testing feature (consisting of 4 main modules) over the course of a sports season
which will be dependent on time constraints and this phase one, and then finally analyze the data
to determine the previously mentioned symptom to sport baseline and post-injury tests.
Participants will be chosen based on experiment time frame meaning that the athletes need to be
in season so they can take the baseline around the same relative time and take post-injury tests as
needed throughout the season, allowing a more controlled and constrained experiment.

Preliminary app design of one

of the test pages. (Module
number 2: Processing Speed).

Robbins, C., Daneshvar, D., & Picano, J.

(2014). Self-Reported Concussion
History: Impact of Providing a Definition
of Concussion. Open Access Journal of
Sports Medicine, 99-103. Retrieved
November 12, 2014.
Daneshvar, D., e.t. all. (2011). The
Epidemiology of Sport-Related
Concussion. Clinical Sports Medicine, 30
(1), 1-17.
Iverson, G., e.t. all. (2006). Tracking
Neuropsychological Recovery Following
Hypothetical baseline and post injury scorers.
Concussion in Sport.
Reopen, A., e.t. all. (2013). A Randomized
*Alternate approaches may include participants who are collegiate level athletes, if using high
Controlled Trial: The Effects of
school athletes cannot work.
SuperBetter on Depression.

These are hypothetical results of a baseline

and post season test, as it is nearly
impossible to accurately predict ones
outcome post injury. The hypothetical
baseline represents the test taken at the
start of a season and is graded in the
same way as any post-baseline or
hypothetical injury test. Verbal and Visual
discrimination tests are scored as a
percentage out of 15 total questions. To
reiterate, processing speed is scored out of
100 points with a deduction of 5 points for
each incorrect pop. Reaction time is the
average of 10 trials. This chart represents
the comparison between an individual's
baseline to post injury and how a
concussion could potentially affect results.

Future Implications
Impact Tracker allows public access to self
testing programs. The availability of this
app is crucial in terms of providing
information directly to patients and doctors
alike. Future implications of data apply
directly to the common goal of athlete
safety.
Individualized approaches to prevention
and management can be established sport
by sport, based on recurring symptoms or
similarities in test results.
My next steps include finding a mentor,
hopefully Jane McGonical, to work
alongside with in the development and
research stages.

Isabelle Seward
isabelleseward@gmail.com
Ridgefield High School Science
Research