Optimizing Athletic Performance and Safety With Wearable Technology

Utilization of wearable technology can optimize athlete safety via monitoring and analyzing performance, transmitting real-time data to trainers and athletes, and providing biofeedback to users. Recent improvements in the size and durability of wearable sensors, sensor battery life, and the integration of web-based data storage have enabled sensors to be easily used both on and off the field for prolonged periods.

In addition to optimizing physical performance during competition, wearable technology can also reduce the risk of injury through monitoring workload and identifying warning signs, improving rehabilitation and recovery, and predicting future physical performance.

Wearable technology can calculate external workload, the physical or mechanical work performed by athletes, internal workload, and the physiologic response of an individual athlete to the external workload and environment.

Recently, such technology has been integrated into the National Football League for load management and Major League Baseball to monitor throwing workload and intensity during recovery. Data from wearable technology are expected to provide real-time biomechanical and physiologic data that can help quantify sport-specific performance and correlated injury risk. Muscle oxygen saturation, a biometric that can be collected through certain wearable devices, can track recovery in athletes.

This allows for comparison between surgical and healthy athletes to track recovery of normal physiology over time. This physiologic data can aid in a safer, timelier return to sports. Future validation of devices and data security are crucial for future adoption of this technology.

The author(s) attests that consent has been obtained from any patient(s) appearing in this publication. If the individual may be identifiable, the author(s) has included a statement of release or other written form of approval from the patient(s) with this submission for publication.