Akute mountainbike verletzungen – ein review

Abstract

[The article is in German] Mountain biking (MTB) is an adventure sport with an increasing number of participants and competitors. The amount of injuries reported over the last years has grown. Research is needed to identify typical injury patterns and to improve possible preventive measures. This review study discusses the published literature on acute mountain-biking injuries. Methods: An electronical search in Pubmed and Sportdiscus was performed from March 2008 until November 2008. Results: The literature search revealed 23 studies. The review showed, that 50-90% of the examined mountain bikers had sustained an injury in the past, most of which were minor (ca. 75.4%), such as lacerations, contusions or abrasions. The review further showed, that the injuries mainly occurred to the upper and to the lower limbs, with a nearly equal distribution (35-45% vs. 30-45%). Head injuries also turned out to be a noticeable component of the sum of injuries (10-20%), most of which were concussions. Although the biggest amount of injuries occurred to young males aged 20-39 the review showed, that women were nearly twice as likely to be injured and also more likely to sustain fractures. Conclusion: MTB is a popular sport that can result in a wide variety of injuries. Although most traumas were minor, serious injuries (e.g. fractures, concussions) occurred as well and mostly resulted from falls over the handle bar. The injury risk may be reduced by the use of protective devices and appropriate trail selection.