The Fact and So What?
The CONKA membership incorporates a unique objective cognition test that allows members control over their brain status. We have been using the same neuroscience-approved test as a metric in our scientific trials.
The Facts:
Sub-Concussions are the real problem.
Sub-concussions (ones where you don't get knocked out) are 400-500 times more common in sports than an actual KO.
Alix Popham (Former Welsh International diagnosed with probable CTE) explained to me that he hadn't really had a "proper concussion" and last week he spoke on BBC Radio Sports Desk Podcast on how the real issue lies with sub-concussions.
So What:
CONKA control: Understanding your sub-concussion threshold could save your life.
Our scientists and board member performance professionals told us that the biggest issue with sub-concussions is that we don't yet know how many small hits you can take before it threatens cognitive health and longevity. The safety/danger threshold is unknown and changes from person to person.
With a CONKA membership and using OptiMindⒷ a member can track daily brain function and make informed lifestyle decisions supported by the latest technology in cognitive neuroscience.
Those that are brain performance curious and those who are exposed to a higher than average amount of head impacts now have the ability to spot peaks and troughs in their cognitive performance.
How does this help an athlete? A well-disciplined CONKA member can now have the ability to spot sustained periods of low cognitive performance from their phone. This would indicate that the brain is not fully recovered, is vulnerable and is underperforming.
A brain in a cognitively impaired state leaves you vulnerable to further injury. It is important to remember that the brain is the source of the body and can dictate your entire performance or subject you to further risk of injury.
Moore et al at the Cardiff School of Sport and Health Sciences found that concussion is associated with 60% risk of subsequent injury (of any type) in rugby union and 50% in association football (soccer). In addition, the study found a greater risk of sustaining lower limb injuries in college-level contact sports and found subsequent injuries also occur more quickly following a concussion than a non-concussive injury.
Remembering last week's blog acknowledging that 80% of soccer players will fail a concussion test after just 20 headers yet are not removed from play because they are subjectively symptom-free after several micro concussions and no major blow(blog), it now begs the question of how many costly injuries of any type in sport actually stem from mild or sub-concussive head trauma like heading the ball?
Paying attention to your sub-concussive threshold could not only be a lifesaver but an enormous cost saver and competitive advantage for any player, team or governing body willing to harness the opportunity.
Check out your brain status now - Download App here
If you would like priority access to CONKA membership drop us a line for the store password.
Notes on Optimind
The app provides an objective measure of your cognitive performance with a simple test that takes no more than 2 minutes. It relies on millions of years of evolution and your powerful ability to recognise animals in a fraction of a second.
All you have to do is sort images as they flash onto the screen, tapping on the right half if you see an animal and on the left half if you don’t. The faster and more accurate you are, the higher your score. The test is different every time and can’t be learnt – see how your performance varies over time with neatly-plotted charts.
And there’s more: OptiMindⒷ automatically syncs with Apple’s HealthKit data, so you can monitor how your performance matches up with the effects of lifestyle: sleep hours, activity, caffeine intake and more. Powered by Artificial Intelligence, the app identifies lifestyle choices that could be impacting your brain function.
With OptiMindⒷ, everyone has the potential to personalise their activity and see the effects of the CONKA herbal composition on optimising their brain.
What's Next?:
CONKA has designed a rewards system to incentivise our members to test consistently and achieve high cognitive wellness scores. More on The Brain Olympics to come, all players will be contacted through their member portals.
Stay in CONKA Control.