Fife Flyers: virtual reality tests help club assess players with concussion

I spend a morning a week in the room for the club’s media call and know the layout well, but, strap on a virtual reality headset and nothing, absolutely nothing, was remotely recognisable.

The club has deployed the latest VR technology to help diagnose concussion injuries, and it’s a fascinating process which I got to try.

I was hugely grateful to Mike Hildenbrand, equipment manager, for his re-assuring voice as he guided me through the tests. It was a fascinating process.

Awareness and understanding of concussion is greater now than ever before. Hockey is a physical game where players are checked repeatedly. The impact of a concussion can be debilitating and, in the worst case scenario, even life changing.

The new VR tests give players and coaches a greater understanding of what is happening after a hit. The 20 minutes spent in this virtual world can make a huge difference to a player’s recovery and managing his return to the ice.

They all do baseline tests which are then used to measure a re-test after a head knock - they were done at the start of the season.

The tests measure balance, dexterity and reactions against a clock. They also analyse recall with memory challenges.

With two hand held controls which acted as pointers - just keeping them within two floating green circles was a challenge enough - I had to spot the numbers on a giant screen, and click them off in order from one to 20. It’s a bit like one of those tests you get at the opticians, only on a much bigger scale, extending your peripheral vision and making you move your head quickly.

Then, stand with one foot behind the other, heel to toe. Easy. Well, sort of - I wobbled like a jelly

The next test saw me almost drown. It was simple - just walk along an imaginary plank stretched out in front of you.

I was standing in the middle of the dressing-room’s warm down area. The floor was completely clear of any objects or hazards, but my mind only saw a six inch beam, and getting over it to the island was a challenge.

Coming back wasn’t much easier, and then the test stepped it up a gear by taking away the middle section of the beam. Again, my mind saw a huge leap over water. In reality it was a step on a carpet - maybe two at most. I was back and forth with all the co-ordination of a baby giraffe on a trampoline.

I had no idea Mike’s hand was at my back all the time, in case I lurched left or right. It really is a disconcerting test

The programme also examines your dexterity with the old ‘run a hoop along a bendy wire’ which we’ve all played since we were kids, while numbers are also used to see how quick you can think.

Adding quick movement to the speed of thought, you then find numbers flying at you - all you have to do is burst them like balloons as they come at you.

It’s a fantastic of use of technology to deal with, and support, an injury that can have long-lasting consequences. The more we understand head injuries, the more we can care for and support the players.