In the world of elite sports, revolutionary techniques are also being used to see how elite athletes can stay healthy and achieve and maintain ever better performance. The prevention of injuries plays a major role in this. Athletes who play sports at the professional level are often at high risk of injury. At Philips, diagnostic methods are being developed to diagnose, treat and manage the health and well-being of athletes.
“Imaging plays an important role in diagnosing and treating sports injuries because it helps healthcare providers get a detailed picture of the injury. It also allows the best treatment plan to be developed,” said Dr. Atul Gupta, Chief Medical Officer Diagnosis and Treatment at Philips and practicing interventional and diagnostic radiologist.
Precision diagnostics
The key word here is precision diagnostics. Through Philips' imaging systems, medical professionals can penetrate deeper into the physiology of athletes. One example is the MRI machines equipped with advanced software. This makes it possible to see, for example, the health of joints and how muscles behave. It can also detect subtle injuries that would normally be overlooked. In addition, ultrasound - and particularly portable ultrasound - is used for musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging in elite athletes.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and ultrasound are the preferred methods for diagnosing most soft tissue injuries such as muscles, tendons, ligaments and cartilage. They are the most sensitive imaging techniques for bone stress injuries, according to Philips. Collecting images at the right time with the right equipment can lead to an early and accurate diagnosis. That's to get athletes back in action as soon as possible.
Remote monitoring
Another technique commonly used with athletes is what is known as remote monitoring. Many athletes, regardless of their physical condition, are equipped with smart devices that track vital signs, sleep patterns and even biochemical markers in sweat. These data points can be analyzed in real-time, giving coaches and medical personnel instant insight into an athlete's physical condition and recovery.
Recent research suggests, according to Philips, that the risk of developing atrial fibrillation (AF) may be significantly higher in athletes than in non-athletes. This makes ECG analysis of athletic heart data more important than ever. Philips is responding to this with its remote cardiac monitoring technology and cloud-based AI-driven deep neural network. Applied to athletes, the technology provides the ability to monitor multiple heart rate parameters, including resting heart rate, maximum sustained heart rate, and recovery rates during training sessions, as well as heart rate variability. In this way, athletes can receive tailored advice.
Mobile ultrasound
Using data analytics and AI-driven algorithms, healthcare teams can tailor rehabilitation programs and recovery protocols to each athlete's unique physiology and injury profiles. This approach can accelerate recovery time and reduce the risk of re-injury. In the Netherlands, Philips, as a founder and sponsor, is working with football club PSV to deploy new imaging technologies. The Eredivisie club was the first in the world to use Philips' handheld ultrasound Lumify to assess players' injuries wherever they were. With Lumify handheld ultrasound, injury diagnoses can be made even faster and anywhere in the world. Several years ago, Philips introduced an AI-driven Radiology Smart Assistant in the Benelux for so-called standing thoracic PA recordings.
Cardiac arrest
A common, medical cause of death in elite athletes is sudden cardiac arrest (SCA), according to Philips. It is rare and almost impossible to predict, according to them. Even athletes in top shape are not immune to genetic disorders that can go unnoticed until they cause an SCA. Even more reason for Philips to design an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). Today, 2.5 million Philips AEDs can be found in sports complexes, airports, aboard major airlines, in Fortune 100 companies, shopping malls and in multiple public locations around the world. Studies show that CPR and a shock from a defibrillator within minutes of collapse can increase survival rates by 90 percent.
