Injuries in mountain bike racing: frequency of injuries in endurance versus cross country mountain bike races. 2011

Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
Department of Emergency Medicine, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, NC 27157, USA. StephLareau@gmail.com

OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency of injuries requiring medical attention among mountain bike racers at endurance races (6 hours or greater in duration) versus traditional cross country races (less than 6 hours duration) and to determine the medical support available at races. METHODS A survey was developed to determine participants' experience level, previous injuries, and demographic information. An additional survey was completed by injured riders to determine injuries and treatment received. The number of medical providers, their level of training, and the supplies available was determined. RESULTS The endurance riders had more years of mountain biking experience, averaged more hours of riding per week, and had fewer injuries requiring medical attention in the past year than the riders in the races. Of the cross-country riders, 7.2% were injured during the race, and 4.7% of endurance racers were injured. There was no increased risk of being injured in a race over an endurance race (odds ratio 1.6, 95% CI [0.50, 2.92]). Lacerations and abrasions were the most common injuries in both events. Head injuries, eye injuries, and blisters were only reported in the endurance events. Endurance events were more likely to have medical assistance available. CONCLUSIONS There was a greater percentage of riders reporting injuries in the cross-country races. It is possible that many of the endurance racers did not report injuries, continuing to ride or taking care of their own injuries quickly. Both events tended to have similar types of injuries and, therefore, both events most likely need similar medical support.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D008297 Male Males
D009051 Mountaineering A sport involving mountain climbing techniques. Mountaineerings
D009657 North Carolina State bounded on the north by Virginia, on the east and Southeast by the Atlantic Ocean, on the south by Georgia and South Carolina, and on the west by Tennessee.
D011795 Surveys and Questionnaires Collections of data obtained from voluntary subjects. The information usually takes the form of answers to questions, or suggestions. Community Survey,Nonrespondent,Questionnaire,Questionnaires,Respondent,Survey,Survey Method,Survey Methods,Surveys,Baseline Survey,Community Surveys,Methodology, Survey,Nonrespondents,Questionnaire Design,Randomized Response Technique,Repeated Rounds of Survey,Respondents,Survey Methodology,Baseline Surveys,Design, Questionnaire,Designs, Questionnaire,Methods, Survey,Questionnaire Designs,Questionnaires and Surveys,Randomized Response Techniques,Response Technique, Randomized,Response Techniques, Randomized,Survey, Baseline,Survey, Community,Surveys, Baseline,Surveys, Community,Techniques, Randomized Response
D005260 Female Females
D005845 Georgia A state located in the southeastern United States, The capital is Atlanta.
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D001265 Athletic Injuries Injuries incurred during participation in competitive or non-competitive sports. Sports Injuries,Injuries, Athletic,Injuries, Sports,Athletic Injury,Injury, Athletic,Injury, Sports,Sports Injury
D001642 Bicycling The use of a bicycle for transportation or recreation. It does not include the use of a bicycle in studying the body's response to physical exertion (BICYCLE ERGOMETRY TEST see EXERCISE TEST).
D013997 Time Factors Elements of limited time intervals, contributing to particular results or situations. Time Series,Factor, Time,Time Factor

Related Publications

Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
November 2021, International journal of sports physiology and performance,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
January 2012, Journal of sports sciences,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
May 2002, Clinical journal of sport medicine : official journal of the Canadian Academy of Sport Medicine,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
May 2004, International journal of sports medicine,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
January 2012, Journal of sports sciences,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
August 2019, Sports biomechanics,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
February 2018, International journal of sports physiology and performance,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
May 2019, Journal of sports sciences,
Stephanie A Lareau, and Henderson D McGinnis
January 2020, Temperature (Austin, Tex.),
Copied contents to your clipboard!