Neck braces - Yes or No and why?

[DR ◣◢]

I think we lost this topic somewhere.

 

There seems to be 2 groups focused around the use of neck braces.

 

One group claims it can do severe damage like broken collarbones, sternum and even back and therefor refuse to use them.

 

The other group claims it's worth the risk to save your neck in case of a crash.

 

Who is right?

 

Please keep it clean, factual and no comments about using this on the Spruit. We all know it's part of the kit.

[Jay_B]

I have some experience with my Leatte, granted it was in a motocross accident and not on a bicycle but it saved my neck twice while i was rag-dolling around.

 

I felt it distinctly push against my helmet and stop my neck from going over too far, and i had no bruising or any forther injuries on my shoulders, collarbones or spine.

 

So from experience if i feel i need it on a trail i swear by it, and its dam comfortable when set-up correctly to fit.

[Capricorn]

i've left mine on the shelf. It got in the way of riding with more confidence. Risk is just that, a probability of occurrence in relation to a consequence. Given the number of crashes by other riders, both MTB and MX, the incidence of neck injuries didn't correlate with the need for neck braces.

 

That said, the consequence is life changing, and i dont argue against hedging against that potential outcome. but in terms of probability, it interfered with my riding all the time. I'm snail's pace anyways, so the probability of a neck smashers is a lot lower than the faster riders. So all weighed up, it was doing me more sitting on the shelf. Would be even better if someone bought it.

[Super_mil]

I see all protective gear as an insurance policy. It has you covered for most of the time, but sometimes when the k@k hits the fan it ads to your problems.

 

Best thing is to do your own research on various brands trawl some of the online threads about incidents and then make your own call.

 

Personally I chose to ride with one most of the time.

[Capricorn]

maxxis: when it comes to probabilities, there is never going to be a clear cut answer as to whether who is right or wrong. They are both simultaneously right and wrong to varying degrees. The whole argument for the neck brace is a game of probability.

 

Does it reduce the risk? lets for argument say yes. What the marketeering agents dont tell us is to what degree is the risk reduced. That is, what's the base probability of a neck injury while MTBing without a brace, and by how much is that risk factor mitigated by wearing a brace. things get a bit nebulous in a hurry.

 

The more interesting question you've posed is: what's the probability of snapping your clavicle during a crash with a neck brace on. Again, what was the base probability without the brace, and then afterward. A simple evaluation of load distribution in a high probability crash (typical speed, typical rider position at point of impact etc etc), would tell us the whether the clavicle becomes loaded in ways that would not happen without a brace.

 

I for one think there's fire under all that smoke when it comes to the Leatt and clavicle fractures simply because the way I believe the load is distributed. Mind you, clavicles can snap without the brace, but the additional loading in that anatomical region can't be ignored.

[DR ◣◢]

Thanks for all the replies.

 

I've take a few gnarly spills in my life. Some on DH, XC, jumping, road etc. Have been very fortunate to never break more than ribs.

 

Worst crash did result in a neck injury from landing on my head. No lasting problems luckily.

 

Will do more research online but I wanted to get the general feeling from SA guys first.

[Super_mil]

I snapped my clavicle with an Omega Brace fitted. That said I went in directly on my shoulder and I feel the brace played no part in the eventual outcome.

 

Patches knows a guy (dirt bike Enduro rider) who believes a Leatt was responsible for (or at least added to) a broken back. He went down at the start of a race and had two guys ride over him. The break was at the edge of the back plate of the Leatt and he feels the braced directed the impact. That said, what would the outcome have been if he wasn't wearing a brace?

 

Unlike a helmet which is a no-brainer, a neck brace is really one of those items you have to make your own call on.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Super_mil

[Guest Omega Man]

Patches knows a guy (dirt bike Enduro rider) who believes a Leatt was responsible for (or at least added to) a broken back.

 

There's a kid in the States. His Surname is Saunders. I can't remember his first name. His surgeons believe that his neck brace caused his Thoracic spine injury due to the back plate severing his spine where the base of the brace is. If you look at Leatt's newest designs you'll see the bit on the sternum is less rigid and the back piece is split which points to a possibility of the reported injuries being true. I've also heard of sternum, clavical and throat injuries caused by neck braces.

 

There's 4 reasons why I don't wear one.

 

1. I believe the designs are flawed. The brace acts on your helmet and given enough force the helmet will move on your head rendering the brace useless.

2. I can't see where I'm going when I'm wearing one making the chance of a crash higher.

3. The actual incidence of catastrophic neck injury is tiny. So you are paying huge money for an item that will only really protect you from an injury that has a tiny statistical chance of happening. And the device itself might actually cause other injuries which you might not have gotten had you not been wearing a brace.

4. All of the evidence for their use is anecdotal. You've all heard the stories. "Bru I had a massive OTB. Landed directly on my head and walked away. Therefore the brace saved my life."

 

But that's just me.

 

Edit. Eric Saunders is his name.

 

Oh and one last thing. Your body type plays a huge role in the statistical chance of incurring a catastrophic neck injury. Someone like me (Short and fat) has a much smaller chance of incurring that type of injury simply because of the physics involved. Think of a piece of spagetti vs macaroni.

 

Make sense?

Edited January 27, 2014 by Omega Man

[patches]

I snapped my clavicle with an Omega Brace fitted. That said I went in directly on my shoulder and I feel the brace played no part in the eventual outcome.

 

Patches knows a guy (dirt bike Enduro rider) who believes a Leatt was responsible for (or at least added to) a broken back. He went down at the start of a race and had two guys ride over him. The break was at the edge of the back plate of the Leatt and he feels the braced directed the impact. That said, what would the outcome have been if he wasn't wearing a brace?

 

Unlike a helmet which is a no-brainer, a neck brace is really one of those items you have to make your own call on.

 

Yup, that particular firnd say that if he could go back he would rather wear something like a race collar.

 

But as Super_mil says (and my friend acknowledges this), who knows what would have happened without the brace on.

 

I wear one 95% of the time when riding downhill courses. That said, I too (like Omega and Cap) find it hightly annoying when it restricts one's ability to look up and ahead on the trail. It takes a bit of trial and error to find a way to attach the brace (Leatt) so that it doesn't ride up or make one too rigid.

[hayleyearth]

I was actually wondering this weekend if I need more protection or not.

[Cellar]

There's a kid in the States. His Surname is Saunders. I can't remember his first name. His surgeons believe that his neck brace caused his Thoracic spine injury due to the back plate severing his spine where the base of the brace is. If you look at Leatt's newest designs you'll see the bit on the sternum is less rigid and the back piece is split which points to a possibility of the reported injuries being true. I've also heard of sternum, clavical and throat injuries caused by neck braces.

 

There's 4 reasons why I don't wear one.

 

1. I believe the designs are flawed. The brace acts on your helmet and given enough force the helmet will move on your head rendering the brace useless.

2. I can't see where I'm going when I'm wearing one making the chance of a crash higher.

3. The actual incidence of catastrophic neck injury is tiny. So you are paying huge money for an item that will only really protect you from an injury that has a tiny statistical chance of happening. And the device itself might actually cause other injuries which you might not have gotten had you not been wearing a brace.

4. All of the evidence for their use is anecdotal. You've all heard the stories. "Bru I had a massive OTB. Landed directly on my head and walked away. Therefore the brace saved my life."

 

But that's just me.

 

Edit. Eric Saunders is his name.

 

Oh and one last thing. Your body type plays a huge role in the statistical chance of incurring a catastrophic neck injury. Someone like me (Short and fat) has a much smaller chance of incurring that type of injury simply because of the physics involved. Think of a piece of spagetti vs macaroni.

 

Make sense?

 

I agree. Until the spaghetti/mac thing. That's just silly.

 

I see a lot of guys that ride bikes like mine wearing them, and I am not convinced. I think they are the kind of guys that buy the bike, and then the BMW apparel store vomits on them. And then the sales man says, you need a neck brace, and out comes the cc.

Edited January 27, 2014 by Cellar

[Grebel]

I think you can do as many simulated tests as you like, but I don't thing there will ever be conclusive proof of whether a neck brace would have or wouldn't have made a difference based on the archive of existing injuries.

 

I think it is just that, a choice. Me personally, I believe that I should be wearing one. The gnarliest of injuries can happen at walking pace. You don't have to be hauling @ss to break stuff. I speak first hand as it happened to me these holidays. Riding with the kids and ended up on my head. No helmet. End result was no skin on my face and shoulder, Cut on the head, cracked ribs, pinched nerve in my back resulting in nerve damage and a suspected chipped elbow (Never got it x-ray'd but there is still stuff moving around....)

 

There is an acronym among the biking fraternity,

 

A.T.G.A.T.T. (All The Gear All The Time)

 

The question of affordability is another thing. As a weekend warrior, does spending a few grand for a brace justify the risk reduction?

 

Like I said, I think I should be wearing one but sadly I cannot afford one. Having said that though, if heaven forbid somebody should be lying in a hospital bed minus the use of their limbs, then was the few grand really that much?

 

A bit like buying a fire extinguisher to keep in your car. The likelihood of fire is slim and the initial purchase may seem a bit steep at the time, but while standing on the side of the road watching your car burn, it doesn't seem that expensive after all. (Bad analogy I know, but I am sure you get what I mean)

[Guest Omega Man]

I agree. Until the spaghetti/mac thing. That's just silly.

 

Haha. Sorry man. Just an analogy.

[Cellar]

There is an acronym among the biking fraternity,

 

A.T.G.A.T.T. (All The Gear All The Time)

 

 

That's the thing. I ride the motorised version daily to work and back and seeing clients, but I'm not convinced that the brace is the right way to go. The voices from the pro camp are just as loud as the voices from the "it may injure you worse" camp. I don't know which way to go

 

Edit: I do wear all the gear. Always.

Edited January 28, 2014 by Cellar

[Grebel]

That's the thing. I ride the motorised version daily to work and back and seeing clients, but I'm not convinced that the brace is the right way to go. The voices from the pro camp are just as loud as the voices from the "it may injure you worse" camp. I don't know which way to go

 

Edit: I do wear all the gear. Always.

 

It is a personal choice at the end of the day. I get dressed for the worst when I ride my DH bike (Minus a neck brace at this stage) and I have been referred to as an american football player lookalike.

 

Rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it...

[Jay_B]

I think all safety gear will have its limit where it isnt designed to work on the severity of the crash or impact it takes and also where it might cause injury else where. I never went onto the motocross track without mine and when i had it on a felt alot more confident in my ability to push abit harder, without it i was hesitant to hit the bigger jumps... that too plays a role in crashing or not - confidence.

 

Case in point 1 - I shattered my navicular into a few pieces and dislocated my 4th and 5th mettatrsal in my right foot when i crashed 13 months ago, i was wearing an R8000 pare of Gaerne mx boots, the severity of the impact went well past what the boots are made for.

 

 

 

 

Case in point 2 - I dont think Trey Canaards neckbrace could have been much help with the severity of this crash...

 

http://www.basherdesigns.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/IMG_30.jpg

Edited January 28, 2014 by Jay_B