Preventing Head Injuries with Wheeled Sports

As the weather gets warmer, more teens will be outdoors participating in various recreation and sports activities, including wheeled sports such as bike riding, skateboarding, roller skating, and rollerblading. There is potential for minor and serious head injuries from various wheeled sports. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that nationally from 2001-2009 there were an estimated 173,285 emergency room visits by children and teens ages 19 and under for traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, due to recreation and sports activities. The highest rates of injuries were among boys ages 10-19. So it is important to know how to be safe when participating in these activities and what the risks are if you don’t.

Understanding concussions:

What is a concussion?

A concussion is a traumatic brain injury usually caused by a blow to the head that alters the way your brain functions. Effects are usually temporary, but can include problems with headaches, memory, judgment, balance and coordination.

Some facts about concussions:

• You do not have to lose consciousness to have a concussion. Actually most concussions do not involve a loss of consciousness.
• Most concussions resolve completely within a couple of weeks.
• Concussions do NOT show up on MRIs or CT scans.
• There is currently no device available that can 100% prevent a concussion.
• The best way to avoid getting a concussion is to wear a helmet.

Symptoms of a concussion can include:

• Confusion/disorientation
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory problems
• Headaches
• Sensitivity to light and sounds
• Feeling sluggish or foggy
• Double or blurry vision.
• Balance problems

Why a helmet?

One significant way to reduce the frequency and severity of injuries is to wear a helmet. In fact, helmets are the single most effective safety device available to reduce severe brain injury or death from sports activities. So what do you need to know about helmets?

• Wearing a helmet for any wheeled sport can reduce the risk of severe brain injury by 85%.
• Universal use of helmets could prevent 1 death every day and one brain injury every four minutes.
• Anytime a helmet is in a crash it should be replaced by a new helmet.
• Children and teens under the age of 17 are required by law in New Jersey to wear helmets while bike riding, skateboarding, and roller skating.
• While not required by law, it is recommended that helmet be worn while riding a scooter.
• Always wear a helmet designed for the sport you are playing (for example, wear a bike helmet for biking).
• Make sure the helmet fits properly. To determine the size you need, take a measuring tape and wrap the tape around the largest part of your head. The helmet should fit directly over your forehead, 2 fingers above your eyebrows. The pads inside the helmet should be flush against your forehead. If you try to roll the helmet off your head, the skin of your forehead should move with the helmet – the helmet should not slide back. The helmet should not touch the nape of the neck. The chinstrap should be fastened to prevent the helmet from slipping back and only 2 fingers should fit under the chinstrap. The straps of the helmet should form a “V” under your ears when buckled.
• The most reliable helmets will have approval stickers from one or more of the following to ensure they have passed safety tests: CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission), ANSI (American National Standards Institute), SNELL (Snell Memorial Fund), or ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials).

Some additional safety considerations for wheeled sports

Your head is not the only thing that needs protecting when biking, skateboarding or rollerblading. Keep the following in mind as well:

• Wear the proper kind of shoes for what you are doing and make sure your shoes are laced up tightly.
• Keep knee and elbow pads securely fastened.
• Use some kind of wrist protection.
• Don’t skimp on equipment – keep it well-maintained and make sure it’s working well before using it.
• Try to avoid traffic when possible, but when in traffic do follow all traffic regulations.