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Aussie MMA Fighters Using Virtual Reality Technology to Fight the Devastating Rise of Concussions: ‘I Want to Remember My Name When I’m Older’
- Wollongong fighters are the first to use technology to control concussions
- Company NeuroFlex uses a virtual reality headset to test brain activity
- The technology is designed to prevent fighters from returning to the ring early
- Athletes Amena Hadaya and Colby Thicknesse volunteered to test the technology
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Australian MMA fighters from Wollongong are the first to use a new technology that uses virtual reality to manage concussions.
Head injury management is currently under the spotlight in several major sporting codes — and is now more closely monitored in martial arts.
Amena Hadaya, 24, is preparing for her pro debut in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and has decided to volunteer to be one of the first in her sport to test a new technology that will revolutionize brain injury treatment.
Amena Hadaya (pictured), 24, is preparing for her pro debut in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) and has decided to volunteer to be one of the first in her sport to test a new technology that aims to has revolutionized the management of brain injuries
Rising Wollongong star Colby Thicknesse (pictured), who has already suffered three concussions this year, is another fighter who has decided to volunteer to test the new technology
“Obviously this (MMA) will affect us later when we’re older,” she said ABC.
“I hear this all the time from my mother, she’s a nurse.
“You just have to take the right precautions to avoid developing chronic illnesses later on.”
NeuroFlex, an Australian-Canadian company, has created a virtual reality headset that tracks eye and head movements to establish a baseline of participants’ brain health.
Users are then tested against this baseline after a knock to the head to determine when the brain has healed and whether it is safe to return to the competition.
Rising Wollongong star Colby Thicknesse, who has already suffered three concussions this year, is another fighter who has decided to volunteer to test the new technology.
Thicknesse Says You Can Come Back From Knee, Hip, And Arm Injuries — But There’s Not Much You Can Do For The Brain
“I’ve had a few so I have to make sure I check all the boxes and do everything correctly so I don’t come back too soon and have long-term consequences,” said the 23-year-old who may one day participate in the UFC.
“You can have knee injuries, hip injuries, arms, anything you can do, you can usually come back from that, but if you have a serious brain injury, there’s not much you can do about that.”
MMA has become extremely popular over the past 15 years, and clinical neuropsychologist Jeff Rogers says fighters using the headsets are a great way to manage head injuries and collect data to protect future athletes.
“We’re just beginning to understand the effects of a single concussion, let alone the cumulative effects of four to six of these over a lifetime,” he said.
MMA has become extremely popular over the past 15 years and clinical neuropsychologist Jeff Rogers says fighters using the headsets are a great way to manage head injuries and collect data to protect future athletes
‘[We] are very excited to be a part of the process of gathering really good solid evidence… to start guiding some of these professional associations and codes of conduct.”
Players with concussions at this year’s World Cup in Qatar will also use the NeuroFlex headsets as part of the most comprehensive set of protocols FIFA has ever deployed at a major football tournament.