Sport-related Traumatic Brain injuries (TBI) are a major problem in ice hockey. Reports show that it occurs 160 concussion per 1000 hours of play time and 4.6% of head injuries leads to a concussion in Sweden. A system that can monitor the players in real time and indicate an impact can contribute to better understanding the biomechanical etiology of a concussion. Purpose of this project is to test the ability of a wireless sensor network for monitoring the g-Forces that affect the head of the ice hockey players in real-time. We build a wireless sensor network system called g-Force Monitoring System (GFMS) by implementing a Web Socket connection between the sensor nodes and the server. The sensor measures and transmits the data over the Web Socket protocol to the server and the server registers and allows monitoring of the g-Force values in real-time. We achieved a 6 ms sampling rate by using the g-Force Monitoring System. The system was able to operate during one hour play time without any significant problem. The stored data shows that the GFMS has an ability to indicate impact and its duration over a predefined threshold. The user of the system can monitor the g-Force data in real time or can do analyzes on stored values. The GFMS can deliver valuable indications. If the system can come to existence and be implemented into the ice hockey helmets, by letting medical experts to look at and analyze the g-Force data, it can decrease the diagnosis and recovery time of a concussion. It can help to make the Ice hockey arena to a safer place without having to change the rhythm of the game.

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Traumatic brain injury, concussion, and subconcussion are different clinical conditions associated with head injury. These conditions share a common origin, mechanical forces directly or indirectly transmitted to the head. In sports, modalities with high exposure to head traumas require further investigation, especially those in which strikes directly to the head are allowed and a determinant of success, such as combat sports. The causes and effects of brain injuries in combat sports such as Mixed Martial Arts, boxing, Muay Thai, and kickboxing are complex and require a comprehensive investigation of many factors. The objective of this dissertation was to explore the main causes that justify combat sports as the main sport sample when it comes to head injury and the effects of chronic exposure to head trauma in this population. Original studies were developed to assess the head injury risk in competition and in training, the level of knowledge of athletes and coaches, and the consequences of chronic exposure to head traumas in the balance function, brain activity, and spinal cord excitability. The risk of a fight ending due to head strikes in competition is directly related to the weight category, and the risk seems to be exacerbated in female athletes. Combat sports athletes are exposed to numerous strikes to the head in simulated fights on a weekly basis in training, when healthcare professionals are absent. During this time that makes up the bulk of exposures, therefore, athletes and coaches are the ones managing potential cases of concussion. However, coaches are not familiar with assessment tools and don’t often seek out concussion knowledge. Alarmingly, coaches, often prior athletes themselves, are the main source of concussion knowledge for their athletes. High exposure to head trauma both in competition and training in addition to iv poor knowledge and behavior are liable to cause consequences in the nervous system. Athletes chronically exposed to head trauma presented subtle deficits in static balance in the most basic human stance, which is the double-leg over a firm surface. Moreover, while the literature consistently shows impairments in brain function, our study expanded the association between head trauma and nervous system deficits to the least studied component of the nervous system, the spinal cord. While athletic training promotes neuroplastic benefits in spinal cord excitability, these were hindered in a sample of athletes chronically exposed to head traumas. The studies in this dissertation demonstrated that athletes in combat sports are chronically exposed to intentional and repetitive head traumas, and that this exposure is likely associated with long-term functional detriments in balance and spinal cord excitability. / Graduate

There is a major issue with concussion within contact sports and one of these sports is ice hockey. Concussions have a negative effect on health and repeated concussions, which often occur in ice hockey, can force players to retire early. Since it is such a major problem that can result in serious consequences, a better understanding within the field is needed. This report has focused on speeds right before a player was tackled as well as the players contact body parts. The information was collected by analyzing 10 video clips where a tackle took place that resulted in a concussion. The video clips were analyzed using the software SkillSpector, where 3D speeds were collected for both the attacking and the injured players. The contact body parts were also identified during the analysis. The results were compared to a reference group from an earlier bachelor degree project where tackles that did not result in a concussion were analyzed. The conclusion from this project is that the speeds for the players in the interest group were proven to have a significantly higher mean speed than the players from the earlier project. Furthermore, the results indicate that the tackled players speed can have a larger impact on the outcome of the tackle than the speed of the attacking player. From the results in this project it is shown that, of the tackles that could lead to a concussion, shoulder to jaw was the most common combination. / Det finns ett stort problem med hjärnskakningar inom kontaktsporter och en utav dessa sporter är ishockey. Hjärnskakningar påverkar hälsan negativt och vid upprepade hjärnskakningar, som ofta uppstår i ishockey, kan spelare tvingas förtidspensioneras. Eftersom att det är ett stort problem som kan ge allvarliga konsekvenser behövs en bättre förståelse inom ämnet. Denna rapport har fokuserat på att ta fram farter precis innan en tackling har skett samt spelarnas kontaktdelar (islagsdelar). Informationen har samlats in genom analysering av 10 stycken videoklipp där en tackling har resulterat i en hjärnskakning. Analysen av videoklippen genomfördes i mjukvaran SkillSpector där 3D farter har tagits fram för både den attackerande och skadade spelaren. Vid analyserna identifierades också islagsdelarna. Resultaten har jämförts med en referensgrupp från ett tidigare kandidatexamensarbete där tacklingar som inte resulterat i en hjärnskakning har analyserats. Slutsatsen från detta arbete är att farterna för spelarna i intressegruppen som drabbats av hjärnskakning hade en högre signifikant medelfart än motsvarande spelarna från det tidigare arbetet. Vidare indikerade resultaten att den tacklades fart är en faktor som kan ha en stor påverkan på utfallet av tacklingen. Från resultatet i detta arbete visas det att av tacklingar som kan leda till hjärnskakning är axel mot käke den vanligaste kombinationen.

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