Health Topics for Sports Medicine

Department of Orthopaedic Surgery

UI Family Care

Cycling injuries

Bicycling is a great way to exercise, and it can be fun for both adults and children.

Helmets are necessary for bicycle safety. More than 75 percent of all biking deaths are caused by head injuries. If all cyclists wore helmets, perhaps half of these deaths and injuries, especially in children, could be avoided. Wearing a helmet reduces the risk of head injury in a crash by 85 percent.

Common head injuries caused by biking accidents are skull fractures and brain contusions. Other serious bicycle injuries include neck injuries, abdominal injuries, and multiple fractures of the legs, cervical vertebrae, ribs, and pelvis.

Follow these tips for injury-free cycling:

• Learn good bike-handling skills. Know how to brake correctly to prevent from flipping over the handlebars when stopping suddenly. Ride with traffic, obey all signs, and give the right of way to cars.
• Use common sense. Take a bicycle safety course to learn safety skills and the proper use and maintenance of the bicycle. Do not wear headphones--noises can be warning signals for your safety. Do not ride side by side with another cyclist. Storm drains, cattle guards, and railroad tracks can catch front tires and are slippery when wet.
• Wear proper clothing and equipment. Wear brightly colored and reflective clothing at night. Use a front headlight and rear strobe light for night biking. Biking gloves and padded handlebars will prevent an overuse injury called handlebar palsy. Be sure to wear a safety-approved helmet.
• Learn good technique. Change the angle of your back, neck, and arms often to avoid over-stressing muscles and to take pressure off nerves.

Last Reviewed 2005

Disclaimer: This content is reviewed periodically and is subject to change as new health information becomes available. The information provided is intended to be informative and educational and is not a replacement for professional medical evaluation, advice, diagnosis or treatment by a healthcare professional.

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