Helmets

[deminimis]

Great thread and it got me thinking. I'm not buying the "bucket effect" argument, at least when it's used as a reason not to wear a helmet. We wore helmets 20+ years ago windsurfing here in the Gorge (not for fear of hitting our heads on the water, but fear of all the Kooks that couldn't hold onto their booms and would allow their masts to hit us). We easily hit salmon ski speeds and I crashed a ton....a ton. Not once did my helmet cause any undue pull on my neck/noggin via the "bucket effect". I actually bought a helmet for wakeboarding this Winter (I actually used it snowboarding, which worked great too). Glad to see that helmets have become common place on the slopes (wife and kids wear them on the slopes as well). Just makes sense. Why don't I require my kids to wear helmets when they are wakeboarding? You know, there's no good reason not to. I've got to make a run to Windance and get them some helmets now...something I should have done long ago.

PS: If there are any typos in my post, I blame it on not wearing helmets back-in-the-day.

[kgrove]

I remember as a kid hearing arguments that seatbelts could cause internal injuries or trap you inside a burning car, so therefore weren't really making you more safe.

I find the bucket effect argument the same... While possibly true (I can see how a helmet could catch the water as well as add mass to your head, either of which that could worsen a neck injury), it completely ignores probability. I've talked to many many people who have been concussed wakeboarding including some who may have drowned had friends not jumped in to flip them over, but have never talked to anyone who has suffered a neck injury. I'm sure neck injuries must occur, but I haven't heard of one.

Possibility and probabilty aren't the same thing. I either will or won't win the lottery, but that doesn't mean it's a 50-50 shot. Helmets do reduce brain injuries (which are common), but even if they do increase neck injuries (which are rare), that doesn't mean it's an even trade.

[Ski-me]

I'll chime in since this thread is moving. This technically needs to be in the Prayer Request thread but I think the subject is relevent.

Just last Thursday (July 19th) my niece was trying her run at the whole wakeboarding thing. She is 13 years old and pretty much a daughter of mine. I got a call up in Idaho, that she was attempting to jump the wake and flip but didn't make it and crashed. Keep in mind, she's only wakeboarded a handful of times. Well, what led to blood on the head, led to a trip into town to the local Emergency Care facility.

Once they observed that the skull was damaged, they told her to go directly to the hospital emergency room for an evaluation. The result: a very decent size skull fracture on the right side of her head. It also just happened to be the day the the local Neurologist (Spokane and Coeur d'alene) was at the hospital and available to check her out. The took her into operate for, what was going to be an hour long surgery.....into about 3-1/2 hours. The rebult her skull bone pieces and put in about 4 small metal plates. Definitely some swelling and she was in the ICU for several days on recovery.

I flew up on Friday evening, and spend some time with her and her mom on Saturday. After looking at the original x-ray, it's pretty incredible seeing how far the bones actually went into the brain area. If I had to guess, I'd say at least 1/2" or so. Just amazing.

The just released her into general hospital quarters and with any luck, she may be released tomorrow.

At this point, lots of swelling but it has started to go down. The motor skills, speech, memory, are all there and she is a VERY strong and determined girl! If you think about it, please pray for her and a full recovery! Thank you.

Before all this happened, I actually didn't even know there were helmets for wakeboarding. I've always skiied and never saw anyone wear one. After all of this has happened and the huge potential for brain injuries, I'm going to get one......

[LYNRDSKYNRD]

Thoughts and prayers brother. I am assuming her board hit her. My son was hit by his board in the head when he first started riding, he's a tough kid and when he came in the boat crying we had a helmet on the boat next outing. Always worn one since.

[thatsmrmastercraft]

Hard to believe what can happen in a relatively harmless sport. Here's to a speedy and full recovery.

[scott023]

Our thoughts are with your niece Ski-me. Please let us know how her recovery goes.

[Ski-me]

Guys, thank you so much! She is a very determined, very athletic and very strong girl! She wasn't eating much until the doctor said she can't leave until she eats. She promptly started ordering food....she wants out! Great kid for sure.

She is one of 4 kids from my brother that passed away. "ski-me" is in reference to him.....

I truly believe prayer has helped tremendously so keep them coming!

[kgrove]

Originally Posted by Ski-me

Guys, thank you so much! She is a very determined, very athletic and very strong girl! She wasn't eating much until the doctor said she can't leave until she eats. She promptly started ordering food....she wants out! Great kid for sure.

She is one of 4 kids from my brother that passed away. "ski-me" is in reference to him.....

I truly believe prayer has helped tremendously so keep them coming!

I'm glad you posted that story and I hope she's doing much better. Maybe as people hear these kind of stories, they'll start taking helmets more seriously.

[WTRSK1R]

I have blown my left ear drum 5 times. The first two were at the wake crossing when slalom skiing. The last 3 were barefooting. I can say that the rupture had gotten to where it did not take as much of a fall for the last one. Anyway, I had tried wearing a neoprene headband to protect my ear since my ENT told me not to wear earplugs. During long line deep water starts barefooting, I had trouble keeping the headband from washing off. So after the 5 th rupture I bought a helmet with ear coverage. On the very first attempt barefooting, my left foot washed out and I went down sideways. The helmet caught near my left ear and nearly ripped my head off. My right arm would not move when I came up. In 30+ years of skiing I have never had to have a spotter jump in the water and pull me into the boat. That day I did. By the time the boat was back to the launch I could lift my arm, but not make a fist. The fist came back in a day or so. It was nearly 3 months before all the feeling was consistent in my right hand. I shipped the helmet back the day of the event and have not regretted it once. I now wear a neoprene hat with a draw string that I pull tight and have not had any more ear issues. They are probably fine at wakeboard speeds, but I would be cautious at slalom speeds.

Good luck.

Steve

[kgrove]

Originally Posted by WTRSK1R

I have blown my left ear drum 5 times. The first two were at the wake crossing when slalom skiing. The last 3 were barefooting. I can say that the rupture had gotten to where it did not take as much of a fall for the last one. Anyway, I had tried wearing a neoprene headband to protect my ear since my ENT told me not to wear earplugs. During long line deep water starts barefooting, I had trouble keeping the headband from washing off. So after the 5 th rupture I bought a helmet with ear coverage. On the very first attempt barefooting, my left foot washed out and I went down sideways. The helmet caught near my left ear and nearly ripped my head off. My right arm would not move when I came up. In 30+ years of skiing I have never had to have a spotter jump in the water and pull me into the boat. That day I did. By the time the boat was back to the launch I could lift my arm, but not make a fist. The fist came back in a day or so. It was nearly 3 months before all the feeling was consistent in my right hand. I shipped the helmet back the day of the event and have not regretted it once. I now wear a neoprene hat with a draw string that I pull tight and have not had any more ear issues. They are probably fine at wakeboard speeds, but I would be cautious at slalom speeds.

Good luck.

Steve

Very interesting to hear. Yours is honestly the first story I've heard of a helmet possibly making an injury worse or maybe causing the injury.

As I said earlier, I really wish some of the manufacturers would band together and do some real research on this subject and let us know the results. Right now we all (me included) are basing our opinions on anecdotes and not science.