Motorcycle Helmets and Spinal Injuries: Dispelling the Myth

Orsay, Elizabeth; Muelleman, Robert L.; Peterson, Timothy D.; Jurisic, Daniela H.; Kosasih, Judith B.; Levy, Paul

doi:10.1016/s0196-0644(94)70317-5

Cited by 30 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…In this study, helmet use did not increase or might have prevented cervical SCIs to riders in motorcycle crashes, as reported by previous studies [31,32]; furthermore, neither using different helmet types nor wearing a helmet loosely had a significant positive effect on cervical SCIs. In other words, while the helmet prevents or reduces severe head injuries in motorcycle riders, it does not increase other severe injuries such as cervical SCIs.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

“…It is common for studies of motorcycle-related injuries to report a substantial number of injured riders with unknown helmet status [5,7,32]; nevertheless, this observation has not been further explored in the literature. In a study of 32 riders who originally had an unknown helmet status in the registry and who were subsequently interviewed, 3 (9.4%) self-reported wearing a helmet at the time of the crash; on the other hand, 32 (21.8%) of the interviewed subjects reported wearing a helmet, and the validity of this finding was indirectly supported by a population-based estimate of 21% in Taipei City [33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relation between Motorcycle Helmet Use and Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

et al. 2004

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A case-control study was conducted to determine the relationship between motorcycle helmets, including type (i.e. partial or full coverage) and fastening status (i.e. loose or firm), and cervical spinal cord injuries (SCIs) in Taiwan. Based on a nationwide registry consisting of 396 motorcycle riders with traumatic SCIs during the 4-year period from July 1992 to June 1996, 229 subjects injured at cervical levels were defined as cases and 167 injured at other spinal levels as controls. Furthermore, additional information on the type and fastening status of the helmet was collected by telephone interview, and 147 subjects, including 79 with cervical and 68 with noncervical lesions, responded. Results of the logistic regression model show that neither different helmet types nor fastening status increased the occurrence of cervical SCIs when motorcycle riders were involved in severe crashes.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 81%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relation between Motorcycle Helmet Use and Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

et al. 2004

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“…To date, there have been no studies evaluating the effect of motorcycle licensing and operation laws in the United States on motorcycle mortality aside from those relating to helmet use. [5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18] A New Zealand study investigated the impact of a graduated driver licensing system on motorcycle-related injuries and reported a positive effect. 19 A study from Thailand demonstrated that a rider education program could have an impact on behavior and injury occurrence.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The Effect of State Motorcycle Licensing Laws on Motorcycle Driver Mortality Rates

McGwin

Whatley

Metzger

et al. 2004

The Journal of Trauma: Injury, Infection, and Critical Care

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“…As highlighted earlier, missing data and unknown helmet status is common in motorcycle injuries studies [28-31,35] and may cause a biased result if these cases are omitted from the analyses [28]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The justification to include the missing values into the analyses was based on the nature of the research which involved head injured motorcyclists who were incapable of remembering the event [28]. The unknown status is a common finding in real life situation involving motorcycle-related injuries and this had been reported by various authors [28-31]. ‘Unable to remember event’ or ‘no answer could be obtained’ did not happen randomly and omitting it will produce a biased result [28].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The effect of motorcycle helmet type, components and fixation status on facial injury in Klang Valley, Malaysia: a case control study

et al. 2014

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BackgroundThe effectiveness of helmets in reducing the risk of severe head injury in motorcyclists who were involved in a crash is well established. There is limited evidence however, regarding the extent to which helmets protect riders from facial injuries. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of helmet type, components and fixation status on the risk of facial injuries among Malaysian motorcyclists.Method755 injured motorcyclists were recruited over a 12-month period in 2010–2011 in southern Klang Valley, Malaysia in this case control study. Of the 755 injured motorcyclists, 391participants (51.8%) sustained facial injuries (cases) while 364 (48.2%) participants were without facial injury (control). The outcomes of interest were facial injury and location of facial injury (i.e. upper, middle and lower face injuries). A binary logistic regression was conducted to examine the association between helmet characteristics and the outcomes, taking into account potential confounders such as age, riding position, alcohol and illicit substance use, type of colliding vehicle and type of collision. Helmet fixation was defined as the position of the helmet during the crash whether it was still secured on the head or had been dislodged.ResultsHelmet fixation was shown to have a greater effect on facial injury outcome than helmet type. Increased odds of adverse outcome was observed for the non-fixed helmet compared to the fixed helmet with adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.10 (95% CI 1.41- 3.13) for facial injury; AOR = 6.64 (95% CI 3.71-11.91) for upper face injury; AOR = 5.36 (95% CI 3.05-9.44) for middle face injury; and AOR = 2.00 (95% CI 1.22-3.26) for lower face injury. Motorcyclists with visor damage were shown with AOR = 5.48 (95% CI 1.46-20.57) to have facial injuries compared to those with an undamaged visor.ConclusionsA helmet of any type that is properly worn and remains fixed on the head throughout a crash will provide some form of protection against facial injury. Visor damage is a significant contributing factor for facial injury. These findings are discussed with reference to implications for policy and initiatives addressing helmet use and wearing behaviors.

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Motorcycle Helmets and Spinal Injuries: Dispelling the Myth

Cited by 30 publications

References 16 publications

Relation between Motorcycle Helmet Use and Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Relation between Motorcycle Helmet Use and Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

The Effect of State Motorcycle Licensing Laws on Motorcycle Driver Mortality Rates

The effect of motorcycle helmet type, components and fixation status on facial injury in Klang Valley, Malaysia: a case control study

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