Ski helmet use not reducing brain injuries
By Kelley McMillan, New York Times
The fact that Michael Schumacher was wearing a helmet when he sustained a life-threatening head injury while skiing in France on Sunday probably did not come as a surprise to experts who have charted the increasing presence of helmets on slopes and halfpipes in recent years. The fact that the helmet did not prevent Schumacher’s injury probably did not surprise them, either.
Those taking lessons at Heavenly must wear a helmet. Photo/LTN file
Schumacher, the most successful Formula One driver in history, sustained a traumatic brain injury when he fell and hit his head on a rock while navigating an off-piste, or ungroomed, area at a resort in Méribel, France. Although he was wearing a helmet, he sustained injuries that have left him fighting for his life in a hospital in Grenoble, France.
Schumacher’s injury also focused attention on an unsettling trend. Although skiers and snowboarders in the United States are wearing helmets more than ever — 70 percent of all participants, nearly triple the number from 2003 — there has been no reduction in the number of snow-sports-related fatalities or brain injuries in the country, according to the National Ski Areas Association.
This is no surprise to the few who consider unintended consequences. When you dress a person up in protective gear and tell them the gear will protect them from injuries. You are likely giving the person a false sense of security. Many people will then act with greater confidence. Consequently, many persons will go faster and take greater risks, while thinking they are prepared for a fall. I’ve known for years that the persons most vulnerable to serious ski injuries are advanced skiers. This comes from the increased confidence level, the increased speed, and the more difficult terrain that they ski. The same is true in football when the person is dressed to the hilt with a helmet and pads. The result is less fear and more serious collisions on the football field.
While I generally agree with Pizza Eater, I would argue that a bigger risk for head injuries is in fact, slow areas where minor collisions can cause one to bang their head against hardpack. These kinds of headbangs perhaps have become unrecorded because of the positive results of helmet usage. Nothing scientific here, of course, but I will continue using my helmet for this reason. Plus, its warmer than my hat!
It would have been good to see how skier numbers have increased over the same period of time the study looked at increased injuries. Is the increase in injury relative to the increase in skier counts?
Also the somewhat buried sentence, “The increase in helmet use has had positive results.”
In the final analysis it would appear that wearing a helmet is a good idea.
If what pizza eater says is correct, we would expect to see an increase in injuries as helmet use increases, not, no change in injuries as the NSAA data shows.
While helmets are good at protecting against external forces to the head, they are poor at protecting against deceleration injuries. This is when your head stops moving quickly enough that your brain slams against the inside of your skull. This deceleration is what causes the most severe brain injuries, so it should be no surprise that helmets aren’t reducing injury rates.
All that being said, you are still much better off with a helmet than without.
Hip-tec.com claims to be a different type of helmet company. Having slammed my head on the ground riding a motorcycle more than once while wearing a full face snell rated helmet, priceless.
This artical sounds just like the dumb friend we have all had. “I don’t wear my seat belt because people die wearing those!” Please! We all know if you hit your head hard enough your going to have a bad time, helmet or not. Same with seat belts. Just wear your helmet and be safe.
Sat what, I think you perfectly described the problem in that helmets don’t help with sudden decelerations. But then your conclusion that you are much better off with one doesn’t follow.
It seems pretty clear that the type of helmet used for skiing is not very effective at preventing typical ski injuries.
I have hit pretty hard from motorcycle accidents as well. But my motorcycle helmet is an altogether different helmet, and I don’t think I would be willing to wear one skiing.
Getting a helmet was the best thing I have ever done. Much warmer, goggles with the helmet give better vision and now you can put headphones in the ear covers. Rock and roll! The trees have become much closer together and I go through them at much higher speeds. If I hit a tree, chances are I will be severely injured or killed. At least I will have a smile on my face. My prayers go out to everyone that they may have one on their face when they depart as well.