There’s no question that helmets save lives by preventing skull fractures and other lethal brain injuries. But according to a 2013 report on youth sports-related concussions by the Institute of Medicine and the National Research Council, “there is limited evidence that current helmet designs reduce the risk of sports-related concussions”—minor traumatic head injuries that have been tied, at least in adults, to long-term neurological problems including depression, chronic traumatic encephalopathy (a neurodegenerative disease) and chronic cognitive impairment.
Look, I’m no fan of alarmist parenting info. But the fact that helmets don’t protect against concussions might influence the choices we make as parents, so I think it’s important to know.
That’s an essential point made in our long-running thread on brain injuries in professional sports. A related sub-thread here. Update from a reader:
Perhaps the biggest misnomer perpetrated by Ms. Moyer in her Slate article is that a “better designed” helmet would prevent concussions.
The repetitive types of concussions that are beings studied as causal links to long-term brain injury are not necessarily caused by outside impacts but the forward moving brain, itself, slamming into the now-stopped skull. Lots of activities can cause these types of micro-concussions where no helmet would or could prevent that.
The only way to prevent such micro-concussions is to avoid activities where those situations can arise. Of course that’s nearly impossible unless you want to live inside an actual bubble. The same would apply to your children.
In particular Ms. Moyer (and I suspect a vast majority of people) falsely believe that bicycle helmets in particular are designed like motorcycle or football helmets, failing to realize that cycling helmets in particular are designed for one major impact. Not repeated impacts. The intent of cycling helmets are to help prevent major brain injuries and skull fractures.
As an avid cyclists, I can attest to that. When I lived in the D.C./MD area, I used to mountain bike out in Cedarville State Park in Maryland after work. Nothing technical but a fast, fun trail. During one such ride, I slid of a trial bridge and flipped into the creek, landing on my head and right shoulder. After checking to be sure the bike was ok first (every cyclist will attest to this) I brushed myself off and checked for injuries. Nothing visible but the headache and blurred vision.
With seven miles to ride back to the trial head to my car, no cell service and no one knew I was riding that day, I’m glad my helmet worked because it cracked in half on that ride where I landed on the creek rocks. After I made it home, I took some Advil and drank a beer and took a nap. I only realized after the fact when checking my symptoms did I realize I had suffered a concussion.
Having been hit by a car, crashing mountain and road riding, and mastering the multitude of ways to fall off of a bike, I’ve only had that one bad concussion on a bike. But I’ve replaced my helmets several times over the years. By the way, this why you should pay good money for a helmet because reputable companies like Bell offer crash replacement.
I think the underlying issue is that sports activities have gotten safer over the years with regards to equipment, techniques and awareness to brain injury but we need to get over the idea of 100% safe activities. As human animals such activities are the last vestiges we have to our baser instincts and the need to move and be alive. I’ll put my kids in soccer or on a bike before I put them in football. But I also know that without the ability to play and self-assess for risks children will never avail themselves of those skills when they get older.
The Dish 