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| Q&A: Dr David Hartman on Head Injuries (824 Posts)
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Joe's gross knee
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On 2/3/2003
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Joe,
Go to your doc if it's that gross or swab it with bacitracin and bandage it so your buddies won't have to look at it. Thanks for not sending us a picture.
drD
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my damn knee is still stuffed
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On 2/2/2003 joseph
wrote in from
(211.28.nnn.nnn)
just bloody brilliant!!! my knee is infected, still sore has a giant green scab that leeks at school and now nobody will hang around with me because it grosses them out. just great.
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Mike's Knee
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On 1/30/2003
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Mike,
This is simple. You blew your knee in the fall and it's still stiff, painful and ACE'D? Dust off that HMO card and get yourself to an orthopedist. DON'T try to exercise and rehab it if you don't know what's going on inside. That's a bad knee recipe.
So make that appointment. Now. Don't mess around. If you wait, you're going to have to make up some romantic story about how you blew your knee in one of Bush's wars and that's why you need a cane.
Go get it checked out and let us know. Good luck. drD.
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Another Knee Injury
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On 1/30/2003
Mike Maysey
wrote in from
(66.236.nnn.nnn)
Dr. Dave,
I know knees aren't your specialty but see if you can shed some light on this one. I was skating back on New Year Eve without any protective equipment on other than a helmet and slider gloves. Okay, so I'm going pretty fast down this hill and I realize my back wheels have slid out and I'm going down...hard. Mid fall I remembered I wasn't wearing pads...remembering I had on slide gloves and of course shoes, I flexed my quads to keep my legs as stiff as possible so I could hopefully slide on my toes and slide gloves. I saved my left knee, but my right knee hit the ground. It literally bounced off the ground, I think as a result of my keeping my leg flexed as it hit. The abrasion I sustained has almost completely healed, but my knee is still very painful to bend completely. I've been keeping it wrapped up with an ACE bandage, and am taking Advil...but I was wondering if I should consider going to the doctor. I don't have any feelings like the knee might give out of anything, it just hurts and becomes stiff if I sit at my desk with my foot under my chair. Any ideas on rehab excersizes I could do to get me back to normal faster than what I'm doing or not doing? I've even stopped riding my bike to work as the motion of pedaling hurts me.
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knee
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On 1/27/2003
joseph
wrote in from
(211.28.nnn.nnn)
yeah my knee is getting better (well not really just not getting worse) still quite sore but i've been iceing it and putting cream on it and the swellings gone just bruised now. thanks for helping out.
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Joseph's Knee
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On 1/26/2003
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Joe,
It's not my area of specialization, but try ice and Advil, Motrin or Aleve, if you can take those. Assuming you're not screaming in pain or unable to move, give it a few days of that. If it gets worse or you can't move it, or your leg gives out, get thee to an ortho guy or an ER, whichever is quicker. Let us know and buy some knee pads. Remember, Dr. Dave's rule: You will fall on whatever body part you didn't buy pads for. . . .
Good luck, drD
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sore knee
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On 1/25/2003
joseph
wrote in from
(211.28.nnn.nnn)
i fell on my knee (along with the rest of my body) and put a graze through the pants which isnt to big but when i got up it really hurt (not the graze that still stung but the knee hurt.) it's swollen, Bruising and hurts a lot to be streightened (sorry about bad spelling) could i have damaged the bone or something?
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aero-efarpe
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On 1/12/2003
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
efarpe,
If you're that serious about speedboarding, get a helmet that's already aero-d for speedboarding. If you want a face shield, a mc helmet might work, but it won't be as aero as a special purpose helmet.
I'd advise Not doing a shield-o-plasty on your existing helmet. Problems could include: add-on parts coming off at speed or on impact and impaling you or someone else, add-on parts looking aerodynamic, but actually slowing down air flow or making your head prone to twist.
OK, if you have your own wind tunnel, machine shop and a degree in engineering, go ahead, but it's not something I'd recommend otherwise, because it's trickier than it looks.
sk8On drD
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aero helms?
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On 1/12/2003 efarpe down, SA
wrote in from
(198.54.nnn.nnn)
Aero plays a huge part in Speed boarding, and thus i have been thinking of adding to my AGV biker helm. possibly out of something lite(alu sheeting, carbon, kevlar or Fiber glass)i would not cut or pierce the origanel helm, attaching it only usin resins etc. so as it could break away or shatter in a collision, would this encrease or decrease my risk of injury, not accounting for the obviuos encrease in speed, hehe.
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skate vs. bike helmets
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On 1/10/2003 Mike
wrote in from
(209.28.nnn.nnn)
Thanks guys for the info. I'm definatly going to switch from my non-cpsc Pro-Tec 'Clasic' to the Giro Semi. I tried one on and they fit my head really well, much better than the Pro-Tec.
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Skate vs. Bike Helmets
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On 1/10/2003
Duane G.
wrote in from
(198.178.nnn.nnn)
Mike,
I was using a (admittedly ill-fitting) Pro-Tec skate-only helmet up until a couple of weeks ago, when I suffered a very mild concussion skating at Vans here in Colorado. I immediately decided to pick up a proper-fitting "skate-type" helmet from Bell, the Trailrider model, which is actually intended for BMX, but has a hard shell, coverage in back like the Pro-Tec, but is also CPSC certified with EPS foam. Yes, it will only survive 1 good impact, but I don't want to take any more risks, and in addition, it was only $25 at REI (Recreational Equipment, Inc.).
Good luck,
Duane
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Mike's Helmet Types
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On 1/10/2003
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Mike,
Four things about helmets:
1. Any helmet is better than no helmet.
2. Helmets that have the CPSC or Snell seal are better than those that don't.
3. A sk8 helmet should be shaped for how boarders might fall, which means good protection for the back and sides of the head too. This may be different for some bike helmets, because they expect you to fall forward. The Semi looks a lot like a skate helmet as far as protection, so if it has the shape and the seal, it's a good deal.
4. If you take a big hit on a helmet and crack or dent the outside or inside, get a new one. It saved your brain once. Retire it with honor. Don't worry too much about the technical differences between helmets. It's gotta fit and you gotta wear it. That's it.
SK8Safe drD
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Skate vs. bike helmet construction
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On 1/10/2003 Mike
wrote in from
(209.28.nnn.nnn)
There seems to be two different philosophies in helmet design. One is the classic “skate helmet” which has a hard shell but the padding consists of foam neoprene padding. The other is the “bike helmet” which has a thinner outer shell but much better internal padding, usually expanded polystyrene with foam sizing pads. The skate helmets are usually rated for multiple impacts while the bike helmets are rated for a single impact. It seems like the skate helmet itself can take more of a beating but it transfers more of the shock to your head than the bike helmet.
My question is would a helmet with the skate design but the bike type construction (such as the Giro semi) provide more protection that the traditional skate helmet even though it won’t last as long as a skate helmet?
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NYTimes: Snowboarding and helmets
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On 1/9/2003
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
from 1/9/03 New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2003/01/09/sports/othersports/09SKII.html?8hpib
. . . Skiing is still relatively safe and a head injury is fairly rare," said Dr. Stewart Levy, a Denver neurosurgeon who has extensively studied skiing and snowboarding head injuries. But preventing a vast majority of head injuries is so easy, it doesn't make sense not to wear a helmet.
As Levy and others point out, a helmet is not a license to ski recklessly, and no helmet can eliminate the effects of some catastrophic collisions, but Levy's studies indicate that the risk of a head injury can be reduced by 75 percent by wearing a helmet. It is those injured in what he classifies as simple falls — people hitting their head on the snow or those injured when they collide with another person on the mountain — who are substantially better off if they are wearing a helmet, Levy said.
We don't even see those people coming into the hospital, he said. "If they are wearing a helmet, the chances are they will not have a head injury. At the same time, we admitted a 19-year-old snowboarder yesterday who was not wearing a helmet when he fell and hit his head. He is in a deep coma and I don't know if he's going to make it. He was not going fast; he did not collide with anyone. He just fell.
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Adam's Helmet
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On 1/5/2003
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Adam,
Falling off a board at any speed, even standing still, can fracture your skull and/or cause brain damage, or that dying thing. If your board hits a rock, stops, and you don't, your head smashes into the ground like an egg on a catapult. All that kinetic energy that was traveling forward is redirected into your falling head. Bottom line. Get a cool helmet and save your life.
Best, drD
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Skateboarding helmets
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On 1/5/2003 Adam
wrote in from
(64.12.nnn.nnn)
Are skateboarding helmets necisary in riding around your neighborhood on the side walk not doing tricks
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Doug's knees
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On 1/1/2003
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Doug,
There are lots of possible causes for knee pain including injuring a tendon, trauma, arthritis, not having shock-absorbing-enough skate or running shoes, bone growth (hey, at 13, you're not done yet). But if your knees are swollen, or painful or the pain is not relieved by light stretching, ice, etc., it's doctor time.
Don't try to "skate through it." I once knew a guy in a health club who thought that if his knees hurt during squats, he just had to add more weight and "build them up." Wrong. Knees don't "build up" or toughen with use. He wound up snapping a tendon and sucking ether while they sewed it up.
Anyway, best of luck and let us know how it goes.
drD.
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knees
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On 12/31/2002
doug
wrote in from
(209.150.nnn.nnn)
I do a lot of soul carving and sliding and recently my knees have been hurting when i go up stairs and when i start a run. is this permanant damage and what can i do to help it. by the way im only 13 so could i just out grow it? thanks
doug
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300 Thanks
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On 12/23/2002
Dr Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
I wanted to thank all of you for contributing to this corner of NCDSA. We're up to 300 posts now, which is a pretty nice collection of safety-heads. Merry Religious/Secular/Atheistic/Pantheistic Holiday and a safe skating New Year!
Sk8Safe and Happy New Year! Dr. Dave
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thank yu Dockter Dave
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On 12/15/2002 Lobotomee Larry
wrote in from
(66.138.nnn.nnn)
I didnt hav aneything to say about my lobotomee, my dad had it done. I wus kinda vilent and did som thengs i shud not have. so they cometted me and tryed elictric shoke and then the Docktor sad they had to do it or I wood be crazy. I dont mind cuz now I dont get in trubol for herting pepill and I can skate.
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Larry's Cut-Rate Helmets and Lobotomies
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On 12/15/2002
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Larry,
Check the helmet labels. Look for CPSC or Snell labels. Without a certification, you just don't know. Second piece of advice is buy the one you'll wear - any helmet is better than none. Suggest you save your remaining brain cells and next time the doctor askes "a little off the frontal lobe?" just say no. . . . .
sk8 on drD
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Hellmut hellp pleeze Dockter
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On 12/14/2002 Lobotomee larrie
wrote in from
(66.138.nnn.nnn)
Dockter Dave,
My spullin sux, doo to my lobotomy, but my quiztion is cerioas!
I am needdin a hellmut to proteckt the whole in my heayd.
I am lockin at 2 protec moddels, the bob burnquist moddel and the Ace moddel. the ace moddel wont absorb swaet and is used alot by kyakers and the BB model is difinitnely for skaters. I can get a reelly good deel on the Ace model, but dont no if I shood.
Any body else pleezse anser too
larrie
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Head Topics
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On 12/12/2002
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
Snoball. . .anything related to heads, brains, helmets, safety, attitudes about safety, role models for safety will fly here. Even the earlier discussion about TV representations of skate injury is fine. And if you have a more general skate and health question that you want to ask other readers, go for it, as long as everyone's clear this Corner's advice and banter is not the same as going to your doc for the Official Medical Diagnosis.
drD
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doc's advice
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On 12/10/2002
snoball
wrote in from
(65.32.nnn.nnn)
I can kind of understand wanting to limit this to
head injuries. That's your expertise right doc?
Otherwise, he could wind up like the dear Abby
of medicine around here.
It's really tempting too ;-)
"Hey doc, i got dis hangnail see..." ha ha...
I'm not dissing anyone. I think it's an easy thing to
do. But ol' doc here only has so much time I'd imagine
so limiting the types of questions related to physiological problems associated with skating makes sense.
Besides, maybe your family doctor could use the business?
And I'm pretty sure there are LOADS of medical forums
elsewhere on the web you can ask questions about things
that are ouching you. For instance, I ran a search and
found some good info on joint related injuries and how
to look after them.
Anyway, Happy Holidays Sk8r's!!
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The Road Rash Collective
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On 12/2/2002
Dr. Dave
wrote in from
(12.249.nnn.nnn)
You don't have to either leave or slam your head flat, SnS. I think Adam didn't want us to get too side-tracked. . .but issues related to brain/safetysk8/TV/Image/Medical/Neuropsychologic al/Political are are good to go on this site. . .and if you don't know who else to ask, bring it here and we'll see. We've got a lot of readers, a lot of collective road rash and probably a lot of "if I had only known then what I know now" types itching to contribute advice. So don't worry too much about asking the wrong questions.
Best, drD
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