Medical Experts Urge New Precautions for Head and Neck Injuries in Extreme Sports

Today, the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) took place in New Orleans. One of the bigger topics of conversation at the 2014 meeting was the prevalence of head and neck injuries in extreme sports.

Events such as the X Games and even the Winter Olympics feature extreme sports. The rise in participation in extreme sports has also contributed to a rise in medical bills. The AAOS reviewed twelve years of data from 2000 to 2011, provided by the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System.

The researchers examined injuries in sports including surfing, mountain biking, motocross, skateboarding, snowboarding, snowmobiling, and snow skiing. They also collected data about head and neck injuries (HNI) as a result of those sports, noting lacerations, contusions/abrasions, fractures, sprains (neck), and concussions. They found that skateboarding, snowboarding and skiing contributed to the most head and neck injuries, prompting the AAOS to suggest advocacy efforts for safer equipment and safety education.

This study was the first of its kind to examine specific injuries in these selected sports. Concussions were the most common HNI injury among all of the extreme sports participants with skateboarders and surfers facing the highest risk of dangerous injuries. Skateboarders had the highest risk of skull factures and surfers had the highest risk of neck fractures, according to a news release.

Extreme sports participation is also becoming more prevalent, with skateboarding and snowboarding seeing a 50% increase in participation since 1999. The findings of the AAOS study should not only increase concern for extreme sporters who are already in the big leagues, though; it should also increase concern for younger participants who are beginning to learn an extreme sport.

If children are taught how to properly treat an injury, take safety precautions, wear the appropriate equipment, along with other safety aspects relative to extreme sports and sports medicine, the AAOS could see these horrifying statistics decrease in the coming years.