Shockwave System Developed to Aid Concussion Detection

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Feb 22, 2011, 10:55 ET

CHICAGO, Feb. 22, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- An Illinois high school hockey coach is taking the pro-active approach to concussion awareness and detection.

Tim Johannes, who coaches at Stevenson High School, invented the Shockwave System, designed for anyone wearing helmets with the risk of sustaining a concussion, including athletes, firefighters and military members.

The Shockwave System is a three-step system, starting with baseline testing to assess the person's balance in a non-concussed state. This data is recorded onto the form that comes with the Shockwave System. Step two is placing the Shockwave device, which is about the size of a postage stamp, onto the helmet. This device is calibrated to change colors (from white to red) when an impact exceeding its rated G-force has been sustained. The third step is learning about concussions and what symptoms to look for.

The Shockwave System measures the G-force that the helmet receives from contact. G-force is the measure of the forces applied to the brain during acceleration or deceleration injuries. The device is calibrated for the age-group that will be wearing the helmet and what medical studies have shown as to how much G-force they can sustain.

"If not diagnosed properly, concussions can leave a person severely injured for the rest of their life," Johannes said. "The Shockwave System will not prevent the first impact concussion. But, if triggered, the Shockwave System can prevent the second impact syndrome that can happen when someone who is suffering a concussion is hit a second time."

The Stevenson High School hockey team was the first organization to use the Shockwave System ($21.95), and now numerous teams and leagues – in multiple sports and at multiple levels – are using it.

The Shockwave System, manufactured in the U.S., eliminates the guessing of whether there is a possible concussion or the possibility that the player is not telling how he truly feels.

Stevenson senior Michael Schwartz, 17, is 100 percent behind the Shockwave System.

"When someone gets hit hard and skates back to the bench, coaches don't always know if the player truly got hurt. This way, they now know whether the player should still be on the ice or going to the hospital," Schwartz said.

For more information about the Shockwave System, go to: www.shockwaveimpact.com