Complex shoulder girdle injuries following mountain bike accidents and a review of the literature

Abstract

BackgroundMountain and road bike accidents are particularly common with the increased popularity of the sport. We reviewed the attendances in our emergency department over a 4-year period looking at cycling injuries to detect the level and grade of these injuries and their outcomes.MethodRoyal Blackburn Hospital caters for a population of 550 000. A search through the Hospital information system revealed 104 patients with fractures following mountain bike injuries. These were looked at in more detail. We present a series of 5 severe shoulder girdle injuries following mountain bike accidents in this cohort, to highlight the serious level of injury sustained in this sport. We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases over the past 10 years using the keywords, mountain, biking and fracture. This yielded 7 papers. We compared our series with the literature.Results104 fractures following mountain bike accidents between 2008 and 2011. Fractures of the upper limb were the most common (88.5%) with the clavicle being the most commonly fractured bone (28.8%).ConclusionsMajor scapular injuries with destruction or disruption of the four bar linkage of the shoulder girdle are very common following mountain accidents. Clavicular fractures are the commonest upper limb injury. It is easy to miss a disruption to the four-bar linkage associated with a clavicular injury. This paper highlights the severity of the injuries sustained in mountain bike accidents of the upper limb and requirement of adequate protection in this exhilarating sport.

Types and anatomical locations of injuries among mountain bikers and hikers: A systematic review

“…For mountain bikers, the bodily region most affected was the lower limb, then injuries to the head, neck, and face were the next most common. This is consistent with the mechanism of injury, with many studies on mountain biking injuries reporting riders being thrown from the bicycle and utilising their upper limbs to protect themselves [ 42 , 56 – 58 ]. As mountain biking is often practised downhill, there is potential for riders to be travelling at speed when they crash, with an associated transference of kinetic energy through the limbs contacting the ground or object.…”

Injuries in alpine summer sports - types, frequency and prevention: a systematic review

“…The most common injuries were orthopaedic injuries (46.5%), and 68–88.5% were fractures, followed by ligamentous injuries and instabilities [ 25 , 26 ].…”

“…Overall, the hand and shoulder are most susceptible to injury. Clavicle fractures occur with the highest frequency (17.5%-62.5%) [ 26 , 27 , 30 , 31 ]. Concerning hand injuries, fractures of the fingers are also prevalent (22.9%) [ 18 ], as well as fractures of the metacarpale (26%) [ 24 ].…”