Shockwave system makes an impact

Tim Johannes was at a local youth hockey game last season before getting on the ice for a Stevenson junior varsity practice.

He watched as a player got tripped, then hit the ice and boards hard.

The player laid there for a moment, then got up, skated toward the wrong bench, and then returned to his own bench.

“As I continued to watch, his coach looked over toward him, talked to him for less than 10 seconds, and four shifts later, threw him back on the ice,” Johannes said. “It was obvious that either the coach didn't know what to look for, or was not interested in looking. Either way, I knew, at that moment, that there had to be something that could help prevent this type of situation and, if there wasn't, I was going to invent one.”

Johannes thinks the answer is called the Shockwave System, a three-part system that he invented to help those impacted by possible concussions.

The first step in the Shockwave System is doing baseline testing on the athlete, to assess how his or her balance is in a non-concussed state. This is recorded onto the form that comes with the Shockwave System, Johannes said.

Step two is placing the actual device onto the back of the helmet. This device is calibrated to change colors when an impact that exceeds its rated G-force has been sustained.

The third step is learning about concussions and what symptoms a coach or trainer should be looking for.

Johannes, the Stevenson JV assistant coach, is using his team as the guinea pig for the project and all the players have the small Shockwave unit applied to their helmet.

They are the first team to use the Shockwave System, but others locally – at multiple levels – are requesting them, including Glenbrook South's JV, as well as teams from across the U.S.

“The players want to know how hard they've been hit,” said Johannes, 44, who lives in McHenry and has been coaching the Patriots' JV team for six years. “It becomes a natural phenomenon. After a big hit, the players are asking questions, (such as), ‘Are you OK?' or, ‘Did my (Shockwave) indicator go off?'

“All the parents are very happy that, during a game and at practice, we are watching out for their kids and that safety is first and foremost, not winning.”

But how effective is the Shockwave?

“This is a great question,” Johannes said. “There have been multiple studies on how much G-force the head can handle. G-force is the measure of the forces applied to the brain during acceleration/deceleration injuries. The device is calibrated for the age-group that will be wearing it. Medical studies have shown that our team, whose players range (in age) from 15 to 18, can sustain up to 100G range. This doesn't mean you can't get a concussion from 90 G's. This is why we educate the players and coaches to ask cognitive questions and we baseline test each athlete before they use the system. The indicator is a tool only. It is not designed to replace medical advice. It is there to help indicate when medical advice should be sought.”

Concussions are a major problem, if not diagnosed property, and could leave a child severely injured for the rest of his or her life. While Shockwave System will not prevent the first impact concussion, if triggered and the player is kept off the ice, it will prevent the second impact syndrome that can happen when a player suffering a concussion is hit a second time.

This can be life-threatening.

So, when a Patriot endures a bone-jarring hit, Johannes and/or head coach Nick Meo immediately examine the player's Shockwave indicator and then ask the most basic question: “Are you OK?”

“Studies have shown that 50 percent of players don't even know or realize that they had a concussion,” said Johannes, who has been coaching locally for 15 years, including a five-year run as the Highland Park High School varsity coach. “Many players, after they take a hard hit, even if they are aware that they are exhibiting symptoms of a concussion, such as dizziness, headache, etc., do not tell their teammates or coach because they either want to continue playing, don't want to let their team down or know that their coach will tell them to continue to play anyway.”

The Shockwave System eliminates the guessing, or the possibility that the player is not telling how he truly feels.

“We were playing in a Metro North game (earlier this season) and, in the first period, one of our players checked a player clean, and the player went down hard,” Johannes said. “It was a good and clean hit and we watched their player skate to the bench slowly.

“The next week, we played this team again. Before the game, I was talking to the (opposing) coach and he said, ‘Boy, we don't like playing you guys.' I asked why and he replied, ‘Do you remember last week's game? You took out our best player.' ”

Johannes learned that the player was examined after the game and he was determined to have suffered a concussion, even though he played the rest of the game because no one knew the severity of the hit.

The Shockwave System is manufactured in the U.S., and one unit starts at $21.95.

Meo paid for the units for all his players this season. Several Stevenson varsity players also have the Shockwave System on their helmets.

“My goal is to have everyone who wears a helmet, use the Shockwave System,” Johannes said. “I can think of two stories that, had the system been available and used, the outcome might have been very different.

“First, (actress) Natasha Richardson. After hitting a tree while skiing, the indicator would have triggered and, at that point, she might have sought out medical attention right away.

“Another story was a friend whose child was learning how to ride a bike. The child fell, broken his collarbone and went to the emergency room to get checked out and was sent home. Only later, he complained of bad headaches and dizziness. He was taken back for evaluation and was later diagnosed with a level-two concussion. Because the pain in the shoulder was the focus, only his shoulder was evaluated completely. Had there been an indicator on the helmet the doctor might have also evaluated him for a concussion.

“This product has many applications. We are working with many other sports to get them on the helmets of their athletes, too. Concussions are dangerous and not just a little bump on the head. This product is intended to work during a game, contest, event, or whenever a helmet is used. The Shockwave System helps the coach and parents determine whether a player should return to play.”

Stevenson senior Michael Schwartz, 17, the captain of the JV team, is 100 percent behind the Shockwave System.

“I think it is a great idea,” Schwartz said. “When someone gets hit hard and skates back to the bench, coaches don't always know if the player really got hurt. This way, they now know if the hit that the player took is serious or not, and whether the player should still be on the ice or going to the hospital.

“One thing that I have noticed is that it has made me and my teammates much more aware of concussions. When one of us hits our head or takes a hard hit, we all start looking at the indicator and asking our teammate if he's OK.”

Schwartz, who lives in Buffalo Grove, knows he had a concussion several years ago after getting hit during a youth league game. And they still worry him, “because (concussions) could possibly mean that I could never play hockey again or that I could have memory or headache problems the rest of my life.”

Marc Schwartz is Michael's dad and is thrilled Stevenson has taken a proactive approach to combat concussions.

“I think that this is a fantastic idea,” he said. “Finally, there is something that will tell the coaches whether or not a kid should be playing. Too many times I have seen a coach send a kid back on the ice after a big hit. After the game you hear the kid say that the coach told them, ‘It was just a hit, (so) shake it off.' The question that I have wondered is, ‘Was it really just a hit or was it more serious than that?' Now there is a way to tell.

“I know that (the Shockwave System) will not prevent a concussion, but knowing that someone cares and is watching out for my son and the rest of the players is important to me. It says a lot about the coaching staff and organization that they are concerned more about my son's well being than winning or losing a game.”