It is all too easy to think of soft fluffy snow, something that isn’t so bad to land on while skiing or snowboarding. But a new Johns Hopkins-led study, which was supported by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of General Medical Sciences and the American College of Surgeons’ C. James Carrico Fellowship for the Study of Trauma and Critical Care, has founded that the use of helmets by skiers and snowboarders decreases the risk and severity of head injuries. It can also save lives.
More importantly, the findings also debunk long-held beliefs by some that the use of helmets could in fact give wearers a so-called false sense of security, or even promote dangerous behavior that might increase injuries.
“There really is a great case to be made for wearing helmets,” says Adil H. Haider, M.D., M.P.H., an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the leader of the study published in the November issue of the Journal of Trauma and Acute Care Surgery. “By increasing awareness and giving people scientific proof, we hope behavior changes will follow.”
Current statistics indicate that around 10 million Americans ski or snowboard each year in the United States. And unfortunately many end up with some form of injury, with up to 600,000 annual injuries, and up to 20 percent of those involve head injuries. This can occur when skiers or snowboarders hit objects such as the trees or the ground. Of those who had head injuries, 22 percent are severe enough to cause loss of consciousness or concussion or even worse injuries. In most cases those injured were not wearing a helmet.
The findings suggest what we already knew: It is a good idea to wear a helmet!
[Via HealthNewsDigest: Helmets Save Lives of Skiers and Snowboarders]