New research reveals an alarming number of people suffering spinal cord injuries while mountain biking, often leading to permanent and life-altering paralysis.
Nov 18, 2024 Mountain biker navigates a rugged, rocky trail on a steep mountainside with mountain views in the background. New research from the University of British Columbia (UBC) reveals an alarming number of people suffering spinal cord injuries while mountain biking, often leading to permanent and life-altering paralysis.
The findings, recently published in Neurotrauma Reports , show that 58 people in B.C. sustained a spinal cord injury while mountain biking between 2008 and 2022. In the same 14-year period, there were only three such injuries from ice hockey. In more recent years, mountain biking-related injuries in the province have been seven times higher than those from skiing and snowboarding.
The number of mountain biking injuries in B.C. each year is comparable to—or higher than—those from stemming from amateur football across the entire U.S.
“These are devastating injuries. There’s nothing quite as excruciating as having to tell a patient that they may never walk again,” said study senior author Dr. Brian Kwon , a professor of orthopaedics and Canada Research Chair in Spinal Cord Injury at UBC’s faculty of medicine.
As a spine surgeon at Vancouver General Hospital, the provincial referral centre for all spinal cord injuries in B.C., Dr. Kwon decided to conduct the study after witnessing the high number of injuries coming out of mountain-bike parks.
“The numbers we’re seeing each year are staggering, especially in relation to other sports. With […]
Continue reading the original article at: news.ubc.ca