Bill Pollock shares a most interesting article in Bicycling magazine under their Health and Injuries section. We provide the following précis and link to the full article.
http://www.bicycling.com/training/health-injuries/the-truth-about-cycling-and-brain-injuries
BY IAN DILLE FEBRUARY 11, 2016 CTE chronic traumatic encephalopathy
Cycling and Brain Injuries. Doctors weigh in on how likely it is for the average cyclist to experience major brain trauma.
Repeated head impacts, has been associated with impulse control problems, depression, and progressive dementia. Some cyclists worry if they risk CTE. Steve Broglio, director NeuroTrauma Researcher U Michigan, and a masters category bike racer, “concussions are not so different from other bodily injuries if given time to heal properly, athletes can expect a full and complete recovery… CTE becomes a danger when the brain is repeatedly impacted, especially in an already-injured state… effects of CTE can be blown out of proportion… precautionary measures assist in diagnosing and treating injury… for those at higher risk, racers, freestyle riders, or cyclists who’ve previously had a concussion, USA Cycling recommends racers have the SCAT2 or ImPACT cognitive baseline tests administered by a medical professional prior to the racing season. By determining baseline cognitive function prior to a head injury, doctors can better diagnose a concussion, and make sure the cyclist is fully recovered prior to resuming riding.
As for avoiding a concussion in the first place, Broglie… while traditional bike helmets generally do a good job of protecting our skulls, they do little to lessen the rotational forces in a crash responsible for brain injuries. A number of helmet makers now include special liners, like the MIPS Brain Protection System, that claim to lessen the impact of rotational forces in a crash and reduce the potential of a concussion.
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