KANSAS CITY, Mo.– A device originally designed to help rehabilitate stroke patients is now being used to test athletes suffering from concussions before returning to the playing field. The Dynavision D2 device is now used by top NCAA athletic programs and professional teams worldwide and on display locally at the Collegiate Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association conference.
Former Kansas City Chiefs Guard Will Shields says the D2 device caught his eye a few years ago and now he uses it at his facility 68 Inside Sports.
“If somebody had a concussion, we can take four different test, compare them across the board and it basically tallies up percentage wise to see where they are,” said Shields.
The machine tests visual skills, hand-eye coordination, reaction times, and cognitive thought processes. The user will react by hitting buttons based on light flashes. The machine can even go a step further using verbal challenges and math problems too. Blue Valley Football Coach John McCall says he would like to see this device at his school.
“Players, parents, administrators at school, coaches and doctors can have great baseline data to make better decisions for kids,” said McCall.
A computer stores the results and can compare them to future results when an athlete is attempting to come back from an injury, like a concussion.
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