NEW YORK, March 12 (Reuters) -- Whether riding a 10-speed bike through concrete canyons or pedaling a mountain bike down a country lane, cyclists may be unaware of what parts of the body are most at risk in an accident. It's not the ankles or feet, although dogs may disagree. According to two studies, it's the upper body -- the shoulder, collarbone, face, and head that are most at risk.
A study, presented at the recent 64th annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, examined injuries of 91 adult urban cyclists and 165 licensed amateur road racing cyclists. The researchers found that the most frequently fractured bone in both groups of cyclists was the collarbone, known to physicians as the clavicle. Of all fractures sustained by the riders studied, 23% involved the clavicle in the recreation cyclists, and the number was even higher in the road racers -- where 54% of all fractures were of the slender "S"-shaped bone.
"Certain sports are directly related to certain types of injuries," commented one of the study authors, Dr. Kevin Plancher, an assistant professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in Bronx, New York. "We wanted to look at our urban population and see if there was a difference in the incidence of clavicle fractures or if cars, motor vehicles were the reason people were getting clavicle fractures, or if it was the actual sport itself," he said.
"Clavicle fracture... is the most common injury that's found, far and away above all other types of fractured bones or broken bones. Accidents with motor vehicles did not change the incidence in the number of clavicle fractures in the urban population."
But, why the collarbone? Plancher explained that in most serious falls, the motion of the bike carries the rider over the handle bars. "When we fall (off a bicycle), we land with an outstretched hand, and the energy is transmitted from the hand to the shoulder to the clavicle," said Plancher.
Plancher plans to study these injuries further in hopes that the information might lead to specialized clothing such as padding in gloves or shoulders to lower the risk of collarbone injury in the future.
A second study also presented at the orthopaedic meeting looked at injuries among mountain bike riders. Dr. Mary Bos at the Phoenix, Arizona Institute for Bone and Joint Disorders examined data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, and found that 50% of injuries in this group of cyclists were to the upper extremity -- the ribs and shoulders -- and another 22% of injuries affected the face or head. Lower extremity injuries (knee) were less common, accounting for 7% of injuries.
Most of the injuries (76%) were in males between the ages of 25 and 44, and 7% of injuries were serious enough to require hospital admission.
"Environmental factors such as branches, rocks, or steep terrain were identified as a major cause of 60% of the injuries. Lack of riding skills or mechanical failure to the bike were considered the other reasons for injury," said Bos.
For safe riding, Bos recommends:
-- Buy a mountain bike that fits the body correctly, and that has good shock absorbers.
-- Wear a helmet and protective eyewear.
-- Be aware and alert when riding on difficult terrain.
-- Do not tailgate cars or other bikers.
-- Learn to steer and brake correctly and at a reasonable speed.
-- Ride with a partner of the same skill level.
The publication Consumer Reports states, "Half the bicycles sold in America are mountain bikes." For safety reasons, they recommend purchasing a helmet with a Snell, American National Standards Institute (ANSI), or American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) safety certification -- doing so cuts the risk of head injury during an accident by up to 85%. It is also important to wear bright clothing and equip the cycle with lights when riding at night. Also, knowing hand signals and using them correctly will offer added protection.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, almost 40,000 injuries were reported by mountain bikers in 1995, twice as many as in 1994. The estimated cost of these injuries is $384 million, including medical, legal, insurance, and disability costs.
