Most common way for spinal cord injuries?

[Pedro2005]

Hello THere!

I was wondering if anyone has any data on what are the most common ways for one to attain spinal cord injuries.

For example, is it most common when riding steeps, skinnies, doing jumps, drops, going over the bars, hitting back against a rock, falling directly on the head, etc.

Also, how much do helmets and spinal cord protectors help? What percentage of injuries do they prevent or could have prevented?

Furthermore, how much of the injuries actually results in permanent paralysis?

In case you are wondering why I am asking: I am just curious...

Pedro

[NooNer]

going big at high speed has high consequences, so any nasty bail definatly has potential. definatly falling straight onto your head (lawndart) will put you at risk of something catastrophic. as far as helmets and spine protectors go, well if you're going down hard enough to break bones / severing nerves, they wont stop it. a helmet will more than likely protect you from concissions and the likes, but plastic can only so do much. if its in your cards its gonna go down, you cant stop it, all you can do is try to push yourself in a somewhat responsible manner and hope for the best.

as for myself i consider myself lucky, ive gone down with my spine vs the pointy rocks, nothing major but it hurt like hell. ive gone onto my head, over the bars you name it, all on skinnies, drops, gaps just riding along. shit happens and it all comes down to how you fall.

havent heard much about permenant paralisis, but these things can and do happen.

[nick]

helmets protect you from head injuries or i should say may prevent head injuries, some even say that they can actualy cause spinal injuries.
"The value of motorcycle helmet use in the reduction or prevention of head injury is well documented. However, it also has been suggested that helmets might cause spinal injuries."
this is from the american family physicians

[mattdh]

protective equipment is vital in helping prevent an injury but I believe that it really helps to know how to crash. I did my leg for 24 stiches when I tried to leap frog my bike during an endo and my feet got hung up on my handlebar. Had I tried to do an emergency dismount in another fashion I may have been fine (although I wouldn't have a cool scar to impress the ladies).

[nick]

protective equipment is vital in helping prevent an injury but I believe that it really helps to know how to crash. I did my leg for 24 stiches when I tried to leap frog my bike during an endo and my feet got hung up on my handlebar. Had I tried to do an emergency dismount in another fashion I may have been fine (although I wouldn't have a cool scar to impress the ladies).

that's gotta be the the best way to prevent spinal injuries or any injurie for that matter, learning how to crash, flexibility and stretching.

[1994canucks]

I presonally think that gear should be mandetory at all SLOPESTYLE events. Guy's not wearing the right gear are setting a really bad example for all.

[enduramil]

Wearing a helmet and armour is like wearing a seatbelt. It will either decrease the chances of getting hurt or decrease the severity of injury. Same as learning to crash and developing overall skill.

However like all who ride you will reach that point that nothing you do or wear will stop any harm.

[slang]

the best way to protect yourself from spinal injuries is by doing warm ups/downs and having an all rounded muscular system, especially around your torso, chest, and back areas.

i have a slipped disc in my back (L5 i think) not from one big crash, but from slowly weakening my back over time by doing too many backflips on my feet. the problem was i had good arm and leg strength from biking, but not enough chest and torso muscles, so i used my leg muscles to help get me height and compensate for the rest of my weaker body, and as a result the disc slipped because it didnt have enough protection.

look at a lot of pro bmxers. some of the falls they take should put those guys out for months at least, but they seem to just shake it off and keep riding most of the time. this is because they've learnt how to bail and they're ripped in the areas that would protect your back and other important areas.

go out there and start flexing your TA muscles. i recommend everyone do it, cuz slipped discs fucking suck. they hurt like a bitch, i had to write my calculus exam lying down because it hurt so much. if bender has to order an ambulance, it'd probably give you an idea of how bad back injuries are

[Danny K]

Totally agree with what Slang says. Knowing how to fall and being in shape will keep you out of trouble 99% of the time. I'm pretty flexible and play water polo, so I'm in really good overall shape. Learning to tuck and roll when you fall is invaluable too. Of course there was the one time I was an idiot, stuck my hand out, and broke my wrist in 3 places...

[leggatt]

I am new to mtb but I have skiied and boarded nearly my whole life and I have found that trying to stop yourself from falling is the best way to hurt yourself. If you are falling just accept it and tuck up, don't stick arms or legs out. It has worked for me so far on my bike too.

[Tat tvam asi]

I find that Aikido has been invaluable to me for teaching me how to fall. I have escaped near broken collar bones, head, neck and back injuries. From knowing how to fall properly. I would recommend to anyone to look into the martial art for instruction, on how to fall more controled.

[KING-OF E-VILLE]

I have found that trying to stop yourself from falling is the best way to hurt yourself. If you are falling just accept it and tuck up, don't stick arms or legs out. It has worked for me so far on my bike too.

I could not agree more...

but want to add, wear all the armour you can get, the tuck and roll does not always work out well in the woods. so the armour helps you barrel through the rough stuff with-out too much pain.

Leggatt's advice about go with it is crutial. Tuck and roll, slowing your momentum gradually. All of my big breaks (both wrists (at diffenent times) and collerbone) were from trying to catch myself and hanging on too long. Now, if I realize I'm going over on my head, I throw in the front flip, roll out move. works most the time.

I did a header over the bars on Fromme last summer, threw the front flip, tuk and roll, and landed on my feet and ass. almost made it to the standing position. My buddy behind me thought it was the sweetest move he'd seen.

Just want to add, what you need to avoid is the LawnDart move. If your crashing any other direction, the tuck and roll is not always practical.

[Silk]

I would like to think that wearing the right gear and learning to fall is the reason why today I am still for the most part injury free.

The first time I took a fall I put my hands out and almost busted my wrists, the guy I was with yelled at me and told me "dude grab your helmet with both hands the second your going down"

It took me about 20 bails but now I have it down and in a split second I am up away from the bike with my hands around my helmet and legs pulled up to my chest.

Of all my riding I think the Cannonball ejection is what I have perfected this year :)

[knowles]

you can hurt your back without falling...i have 4 bulging discs from riding that arent linked to any falls

[slang]

you can hurt your back without falling...i have 4 bulging discs from riding that arent linked to any falls

4?! wow.

[knowles]

4?! wow.
yeah....1 really bad one

[slang]

yeah....1 really bad one

what exercises are you doing? i've gotten lazy on the physio and havent been doing much lately, which is pretty bad cuz the pain's slowly creeping back esp. after sitting down all day studying for exams the past month

[baloom]

I guess I have some expertise in this department having been the recipient of 2 spinal injuries.

The first was in '02....2 compressed thoracic vertabrae that occured when I got pitched over the bars and augered in on my head from about 10 feet up. Soft dirt, an excellent helmet that did its job and good guardian angels allowed me to heal well from that one after about 5 months off my bike and a good part of a ski season down the tubes.

The second was in April....high speed off a ramp to stump then gap, back end kicked badly resulting in a hard impact onto my back (from about 8-10 feet up at about 35kph)....high speed = high consequence. The result was an obliterated T5 vertebrae and several other fractured thoracic vertebrae, some temporary paralysis, a 2 week stay in the spine unit at VGH, 2 foot long titanium rods and 8 screws in my back and a spinal fusion from T2-T8. I was wearing an excellent full helmet and Dainese armour. The surgical team that worked on me stated that the helmet kept me alive and the spine protector dissipated enough energy to likely be the difference between walking today and wheeling myself about in a chair.

So, argue the points as one may but my experience is that if the protective gear exists, I am going to wear it and I am going to invest in the best stuff I can get. My gear has been the best investment I have ever made.

You can see my radiographs at the following: http://www.nsmb.com/trail_tales/spinal_06_05.php

[Midas]

i hear getting your back stomped on isnt the best for your spine.

[Westwood]

Kind of grisly subject, but this poster makes you think about how you protect your spine.

http://www.planet-knox.com/Images/news2.jpg

[Sunday Rider]

Slouched at my computer contemplating this thread is probably not so good for my spine.

[knowles]

what exercises are you doing? i've gotten lazy on the physio and havent been doing much lately, which is pretty bad cuz the pain's slowly creeping back esp. after sitting down all day studying for exams the past month
mine are L2-L6 and i have 3 sheets of exercises im supposed to do everyday...basically anything to strengthen your core to keep your spine alligned

[Pedro2005]

Thanks guys!

It's nice to see a variety of different comments and advice on the subject. I find that breaking legs/arms/collar bone is acceptable and a price I am willing to pay for the fun of riding, but injuring one's back is a whole different story.

At this point I haven't been going big but I just bought a 'big bike' for Whistler so after reading some of the comments, I will definitely invest into an armour and pay closer attention to stretching and how I fall/bail.

Regarding my experience with spinal injuries (I am not even sure if I can call it a spinal injury), I fell off a skinny onto my ass from about 4 feet only 2 months after I started riding. I would have had to wait a year for a specialist so I opted to go to a private doctor. It turned out that I screwed up one of the joints in my lower back connecting a couple of vertebrae. Then, going to physio was the best thing ever. I found that the moment I saw even a little improvement in the pain department, I felt extremely motivated and kept up with 1-1.5 hours of excercises each day. On the other hand, the moment the pain diminished to a certain level, I started slacking off but at least I could ride again. Now, a little more than a year later, I still have a slight pain in my lower back but I just came to accept it as the way things are. As long as it doesn't get worse, I am pretty happy with my back...

Pedro

PS: Baloom, nice to see that you managed to recover nicely (in relative terms).