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.” Continue reading Study Snow Sports Need Brain Bucket