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JSerra First High School Nationally to Implement Baseline Brain Scan Technology Across all Sports

JSerra Baseline Brain Scans

JSerra Athletic Trainer Kasey Kavanagh preparing freshman multi-sport athlete Willa Poplawski (basketball and softball) for a baseline brain scan utilizing WAVi technology that can later be utilized as a reference if she were to incur major or minor head trauma during practice or competition.

Following a successful pilot program Implementing WAVi technology baseline brain scans at all levels of their nationally ranked football program, Orange County High School JSerra is rolling out the program to student-athletes participating in their winter sports programs as part of their all-school initiative.

 

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CALIF. – In a continuation of their commitment to safeguarding the brain health of their student athletes, JSerra Catholic High School is broadening their WAVi brain scan initiative to include their winter sports programs including girls basketball, girls soccer, girls water polo, boys basketball, boys soccer, rugby and ice hockey.

JSerra made headlines this past July when they partnered with Basline Brain Scan Technologies pioneering the WAVi diagnostic tool across all three levels of their football program including Freshman, JV and Varsity. Speed, voltage and reaction time of the brain is assessed utilizing an FDA-approved helmet that contains 22 nodes that detect electrical activity in the brain.

The pre-season scans provide vital information on each student athlete's brain health prior to beginning their season. When a player gets hurt, the WAVi brain scan technology can be utilized to reveal alterations in brain activity, cognition and speed of processing.

High school athletes participating in contact sports are at risk for repeated, minor head impact injuries. Research has shown that over time these slight, seemingly inconsequential head collisions can dramatically impact cognitive brain function.

"The brain scan concept that we are able to do for the safety of the athletes is truly remarkable," emphasized JSerra Athletic Director Chris Ledyard. "For the first time an athlete will be able to refer to an objective measurement of brain activity as their standard of brain health, rather than the subjective measurements of the past."

WAVi Baseline Brain Test

Speed, voltage and reaction time of the brain is assessed utilizing an FDA-approved helmet that contains 22 nodes that detect electrical activity in the brain.

 

The pilot program with football provided a proactive platform for protecting their athletes against potential long-term brain deficiencies. Pleased with the success of the program, JSerra is moving forward on its commitment to performing WAVi brain scans for each and every one of their student athletes. Athletic trainers are performing scans on all of their fall sport athletes as next steps towards fulfilling JSerra's commitment to student-athlete brain health.

"As an athletic training staff here at JSerra, we're always striving to be better and provide the highest quality care that we can," explained JSerra Director of Athletic Training Jamie Rodgers. "Implementing these brain scans with our football team this last season was a huge success. It greatly helped our staff better evaluate the readiness of our athletes return-to-play after sustaining a concussion. We are excited to be able to expand this highly innovative system to the rest of our sports here at JSerra.

Recent research has focused on the dangers of repetitive head trauma in youth sports. One of the challenges in assessing and treating concussions is that every brain is unique. Subsequently, recovery is equally unique to each individual person, particularly when it comes to healing and safe return-to-play.

Prior to WAVi technology, assessment of healing and return-to-play decisions were predicated on symptomatic diagnostics tests. Limited, incomplete, and potentially inaccurate, these types of assessments may result in student athletes returning to play prior to full healing leaving them at greater risk for re-injury.

WAVi Baseline Brain Scans

Capsules are soaked in saline, which acts as a conductor, then inserted into pockets in the space-age looking skull cap used to perform the brain scans.

 

How does it work? Athletes participate in a brain scan to literally set a baseline prior to participating in their sport. If a hit to the head should occur during practice or competition, JSerra has the technology onsite to re-scan and compare the before and after. The results can then be sent with the athlete to their doctor to be interpreted. The diagnostic tool takes the guesswork out of determining the intensity of an injury and when a concussion is sufficiently healed.

"The WAVi system gives our medical staff the ability to get the most definitive, objective information about our student-athletes' current brain health," explained JSerra Athletic Trainer Kasey Kavanagh. "Concussions can be difficult to diagnosis/manage and this protocol is among the most advance technology available. JSerra has taken huge steps to making sure our student-athletes are safe and protecting their futures. It's very exciting to be a part of this new chapter."