Citation

Ansari M, Nourian R, Khodaee M. Curr. Sports Med. Rep. 2017; 16(6): 404-412.

Affiliation

1Sports Medicine Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran; and 2Department of Family Medicine, University of Colorado School of Medicine, AFW Clinic, Denver, CO.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

10.1249/JSR.0000000000000429

PMID

29135638

Abstract

With the increasing popularity of mountain biking, also known as off-road cycling, and the riders pushing the sport into extremes, there has been a corresponding increase in injury. Almost two thirds of acute injuries involve the upper extremities, and a similar proportion of overuse injuries affect the lower extremities. Mountain biking appears to be a high-risk sport for severe spine injuries. New trends of injury patterns are observed with popularity of mountain bike trail parks and freeride cycling. Using protective gear, improving technical proficiency, and physical fitness may somewhat decrease the risk of injuries. Simple modifications in bicycle-rider interface areas and with the bicycle (bike fit) also may decrease some overuse injuries. Bike fit provides the clinician with postural correction during the sport. In this review, we also discuss the importance of race-day management strategies and monitoring the injury trends.

Language: en