This is the first long term study on Enduro Mountain Bike Injuries. Over two seasons, this study considered over 3,000 rider race hours and over 18,000 rider practice hours. A total of 188 injuries were reported.
These injuries were classified by both location and type: The shoulder joint, the head, hand, and lower leg were the most frequently injured body regions.
Concussions, fractures, lacerations and bruises were the most common diagnosis of injury type.
Since concussions are fractures are more serious injuries, involving more time lost to sport, and since these injuries are to some extent preventable with specific types of training, it’s these two that we will focus on more carefully.
Although the rate of concussions per rider hours was fairly low, female athletes sustained concussions at a rate of 3:1 versus their male counterparts. Similar statistics are noted in other sports and while the exact causes are not fully known, it is our belief that neck function differences may be the underlaying cause. Neck function can be trained and will be the subject of several future articles.
Female athletes sustained concussions at a rate of 3:1 versus their male counterparts.
In terms of injury cause, just over half of all injuries (55%) occurred during rocky stages, 39% on steep gradients and 41% at slow speeds. Injuries occurred most frequently on a combination of slow, steep, rocky/dirt stages (22.3%, n=42); 71% were caused by a fall (contact with the ground).
Int J Sports Med. 2021 Oct; 42(11): 1012–1018.
Published online 2020 Dec 21. doi: 10.1055/a-1320-1116
