A new study suggested that High speeds, extreme terrain and long vertical drops might be making the increasingly popular sport of mountain biking as risky as football, diving and cheerleading. The findings warn that taking two wheels to the trails invites the danger of a spinal injury. One of every six cases reviewed was severe enough to result in complete paralysis.
“People need to know that the activities they choose to engage in may carry with them unique and specific risks,” Dr. Marcel Dvorak, of the University of British Columbia in Canada, told Reuters Health by email. “Helmets will not protect you from these injuries, nor will wearing Ninja Turtle-like body armor.”
Earlier studies had described both the range of injuries sustained by mountain bikers and the spinal injuries suffered across a variety of sports. But no one had yet evaluated the specific risks of spinal injury among mountain bikers.
Surgery was required for about two-thirds of the mountain bikers. But the most devastating injuries were the 40 percent that involved the spinal cord. Of these, more than 40 percent led to complete paralysis. “Wrist fractures and facial fractures are common” among mountain bikers, said Dvorak. “But spine injuries are the most severe with the most profound long-term consequences.”
Perhaps surprisingly, the researchers found no relationship between helmet wearing and the overall severity of a rider’s injuries. “Helmets are good in preventing head injuries, but they do not in any way protect your neck,” noted Dvorak. His advice to mountain bikers: Be cautious about any tricks or jumps, know your terrain, and always ride in a group and stay together.
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