Accident wakeboarding this weekend

[DieselPWR]

My buddies girl just blew her knee out trying to jump the wake. She flattened out right before the wake and dumped the handle before she even jumped.

[hoopykat]

Helmets are good to protect your skull, but your brain will still bounce around inside your skull at impact, and damage can occur. Called coup/contra-coup injuries. Helmets are more of a skull fracture protection than anything else. Common sense and knowing your limitations are more important than the most sturdy helmet.

-Mike

[dingleberry]

Helmets are good to protect your skull, but your brain will still bounce around inside your skull at impact, and damage can occur. Called coup/contra-coup injuries. Helmets are more of a skull fracture protection than anything else. Common sense and knowing your limitations are more important than the most sturdy helmet.

-Mike

I disagree that helmets are primarily for skull fracture prevention. The foam will cushion the head at impact, reducing the deceleration G's, meaning that your brain will hit the inside of your skull with less force, resulting in a lesser injury.

[hoopykat]

I disagree that helmets are primarily for skull fracture prevention. The foam will cushion the head at impact, reducing the deceleration G's, meaning that your brain will hit the inside of your skull with less force, resulting in a lesser injury.

Yep..true that. I was speaking to the people who think a helmet is the be all/end all for safety, and take chances they really shouldn't, because they think the helmet will protect them from their stupidity.

[MTtigekid]

helmets can be dangerous on the water. I was wearing a helmet when we were test driving our 21v and I did a back roll on my knee board dipped the nose off the bounce. caught the nose on the water, smacked my head on the water sideways, blew out my ear drum, and was completely unaware of where i was I couldnt hear and basically woke up in water.... scariest 2 minutes of my life for sure.

did the helmet have ear protection?

[Jason B]

Yep..true that. I was speaking to the people who think a helmet is the be all/end all for safety, and take chances they really shouldn't, because they think the helmet will protect them from their stupidity.

Preotect me from my stupidity??? Heeeeeell no, that's why I have sky high insurance limits!! lol

[murphini]

Preotect me from my stupidity??? Heeeeeell no, that's why I have sky high insurance limits!! lol

Common last words.... " Hey--hold my beer and watch this!!!"

[Duncan]

I disagree. Guys theorize about it, but it never seems to be true. But these threads always start an argument...haha. I do not see threads stating first hand experience that they hurt their neck more when wearing a helmet. But I know lots of guys who felt it protected them from a concussion. For the record, I wear a helmet and have no concerns at all about additional risk to my neck.

Tall is certainly better qualified to provide an opinion on this. Here are a few links relevant to water sports helmets and head and neck injury.

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=412 (while for kitboarding, performance characteristics are close to wb; note importance of hard foam liner)

http://www.bhsi.org/other.htm (highlights some problems with water sports helmets)

http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/wha...eck_injury.asp (ranking of neck injury per sport -- water is fairly low and most are probably diving accidents)

http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/wha...t_e/sports.asp (ranking of head injuries per sport -- water sports is mid range but many are probably diving accidents. note water sports not on helmet suggested list)

http://wikipaddle.org/wiki/Helmet (listing of water sports helmet criteria)

[talltigeguy]

Tall is certainly better qualified to provide an opinion on this. Here are a few links relevant to water sports helmets and head and neck injury.

http://fksa.org/showthread.php?t=412 (while for kitboarding, performance characteristics are close to wb; note importance of hard foam liner)

http://www.bhsi.org/other.htm (highlights some problems with water sports helmets)

http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/wha...eck_injury.asp (ranking of neck injury per sport -- water is fairly low and most are probably diving accidents)

http://www.neurosurgerytoday.org/wha...t_e/sports.asp (ranking of head injuries per sport -- water sports is mid range but many are probably diving accidents. note water sports not on helmet suggested list)

http://wikipaddle.org/wiki/Helmet (listing of water sports helmet criteria)

Nice homework. I wish there were more time to really dig into it. There is no doubt that folks can get spine injuries in wakeboarding, but concussions are far more common. I don't think I have seen an actual thread about a wakeboarding spinal cord injury that was permanent (anything more than a 'stinger'). But concussions are talked about everywhere. Seems like the water absorbs enough of the punch to allow the spine to protect itself.

The most interesting point of that concussion discussion on the kiteboarding site was the use of different materials. Our wakeboarding helmets are soft with a hard exterior plastic...all of the research with land based sports suggest a bike type hard styrofoam helmet is best. I have to think that hitting the right front fender of a Ford truck is different than a wakeboarding crash, unless I hit the board or a dock. So that is why I think our helmets are not bicycle - style styrofoam, and they are better for our sport. I feel that I get good protection from a contracoup type injury (brain rattling back and forth in the skull) and I get protection from that slap on the head that stings too.

What we need to do is take 1,000 wakeboarders with and without helmets and drop them at a cable park on their heads from 10 feet up at the same speeds and see who has the most injuries...any volunteers?

[MTtigekid]

What we need to do is take 1,000 wakeboarders with and without helmets and drop them at a cable park on their heads from 10 feet up at the same speeds and see who has the most injuries...any volunteers?

i take some of that action