if you’re worried about concussions, consider wearing a helmet whenever you’re on a bike. Fortunately, helmets are inexpensive, comfortable, and proven to keep your brain safe.
What are Helmets?
Helmets prevent head injury in contact sports. Some helmets are worn by athletes in football, hockey, and other sports. Helmets are also worn by construction workers, police officers, and others who can be injured by falling debris. Helmets are designed to reduce or prevent injuries for bicyclists, motorcyclists, football players, motocross riders, and skiers. Helmets prevent head injuries by absorbing and dispersing impact from a sharp blow to a cyclist’s head or colliding with an object. Helmets also prevent injuries from falling, dropping, or hitting other objects.
The Essence of Helmets
Helmets are made to protect our heads and faces from the high speeds of traveling on roads. Every helmet is specially designed for the wearer with lightweight, comfortable and adjustable features. Helmets are worn for protection but are also a fashion statement. They are worn not only by professional cyclists but mountain bikers and even regularly by motorcyclists. Helmets come in all shapes and sizes. The purpose behind the helmet is to provide the wearer with a quality, comfortable fit and protect the head from injuries, such as a broken bone, concussion, and even death. Helmets are safety devices, but these helmets are also designed as fashion statements.
Types of Helmets
In conclusion, there are several types of motorcycle helmets to choose from.
- Full-Face Helmets
Motorcycle helmets are made of either plastic or carbon fiber. Full-face helmets include a built-in visor and chin bar. Full-face helmets have eyes and mouthpieces. The eye and mouthpiece are made of glass or polycarbonate. They also provide better protection to the head and face. Full-face helmets are the most commonly worn type of motorcycle helmet. Other types include open-face helmets, which don’t cover your entire face, and modular helmets, allowing air circulation and drainage. As motorcycle helmets differ significantly, so do the types of protection they offer for motorcyclists with various styles.
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Half-Face Helmets
This is for motorcyclists with a wide variety of styles. The half-face helmet looks like a regular helmet but features a specially created visor that flips down over the eyes when active. Scientists originally created the half-face helmet to improve visibility for cyclists. Still, researchers now
think the helmet’s design may be useful in commercial operations like construction sites and food services. The half-face helmet has angled, and recessed eye shields and is worn with the chin strap over the front of the chin bar. The chin bar of this helmet is shorter than that of the regular full face helmet, allowing the rider to see better over their nose.
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Modular Helmets
Modular helmets are detachable. The face shield and chin rest can be separated from the rest of the helmet for motorcyclists who want to design their own helmets. Modular Helmets are helmets that are designed to mount additional accessories. Modular helmets mount cameras or lights, communication devices, GPS units, fans, or even small computers. They can be as basic as just a harness for speakers or as exotic as a complete computer bolted directly to your head.
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Off-Road Helmets
For an off-road helmet, protection is provided by tough polycarbonate (PC) or polystyrene (PS) shells with metal grilles, vents, and visors. These helmets are lightweight and tough but are less comfortable.
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Integrated Helmets
Integrated helmets are full-face helmets. They usually don’t have a chin strap.
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Open Face Helmets
Open face helmets have no face shield. Open face helmets are suitable for sunny days, but they do provide less protection than a modular or full-face helmet.
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Combination Helmets
Combination helmets are full-face helmets with flip-up visors.
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Electronic Helmets
These are for motorcyclists who want advanced safety.
Motorcycle helmets can also have a face shield. Some face shields are removable. Some face shields are flip-up. Some face shields are retractable. Some face shields are fixed. Many bikers today prefer to wear half-face helmets because it offers adequate protection and lower chin coverage. Some half-face helmets tend to be warmer too. However, half-face helmets can restrict your vision and make it difficult to see your surroundings. Other bikers prefer full-face helmets because they offer more protection. Additionally, full-face helmets sit higher and have more coverage. Choosing the correct helmet is important. Therefore, one should only choose a proper helmet after thorough research and consideration.
What Do We Mean by Concussions?
Concussions can have damaging effects on the brain. In the short term, they can cause confusion and nausea. More severe concussions can lead to headaches, difficulty remembering recent events, and difficulty concentrating. Long-term, long-term damage can cause long-term memory loss, depression, and headaches. A concussion is a brain injury.
So, Can Helmets Prevent Concussions?
You can prevent a concussion by wearing helmets and pads. Helmets and pads are physical safeguards. Helmets do prevent concussions. In helmets, the brain is less likely to bounce around the skull, which will reduce concussion risks. It’s safe to say that helmets can prevent concussions, but many riders aren’t wearing them.
Helmets can help prevent concussions, but helmets alone are not a cure-all. Helmets protect our heads but don’t protect the brain from damage. For brain trauma and traumatic brain injury, more is needed to be done. A recent Swedish Study revealed that helmets could reduce the risk by about 50%, but they do not eliminate it.
The study doesn’t show helmets do much to prevent concussions. Some helmets reduce head impact, but the best helmets are expensive and don’t prevent concussions. Helmets do prevent skull fractures, but other symptoms diagnose concussions. Maybe those symptoms are caused by the brain being shaken around, and helmets help. Maybe helmets prevent concussions, but the test subjects had not been trained to avoid head hits. Maybe the test subjects didn’t expose enough head hits, so the helmet’s effect was not shown. That’s not exactly a conclusive answer.
