Leatt neck braces

[Mick22]

BUY A BRACE... ANYTHING IS BETTER THAN NOTHING. 

Not sure about that ??

When it comes to any type of mechanical bracing wheather its knees or neck get advice from a orthopedic surgeon or at least someone in the ortho field.
It is really hard to measure whether neck or knee braces have any beneficial effect, there is a lot of anecdotal "i had a real big one, could have been a lot worse without the brace" and stuff written in magazines which is just regurgitating the manufactures claims but nothing convincing.

If you have a hard impact without a neck brace, the force is distributed over over many joints, if you "lock out" these joints with a brace you then concentrate the force into one area and are more likely to break something in a small accident where you may have got away with just being a bit sore.

 I have spoken to several ortho's about bracing ( a couple are quite familiar with MX) and all have said the same, bracing should only be used where there is a pre existing weakness in a joint otherwise you are putting yourself at greater risk with a brace on.

I'm not saying all this to blindly shitcan braces I would be quite happy to be proven wrong on this one, I just think there is a lot of emotion and marketing overiding the facts when it comes to to braces. The last thing you want to do is wear a serious orthopedic device that is designed and made by a clothing manufacture and is going to do more harm than good?

But don't listen to me, why not ask an expert

[VMX247]

Braces neck or knee also stop hyperextension of the bone and muscle- a good preventative 
this of course does not include headbanging in the mosh pit 
cheers

[Mick22]

Hyper extenension was the main reason my ortho told me NOT to use a knee brace. A knee brace can turn a hyperextension( really bad, done it twice)  into a compound femur fracture (a lot worse).
Thats the main thing that worries me with the Leatt is the "tail" that runs down your spine, if you have a minor neck hyperextension, all that force is being concentrated into your thoracic spine at the end of the tail.

[Graeme M]

I too have a read a lot of varied opinion about braces. So far I haven't been convinced that for my level of riding a knee brace is necessary, although I do wear a fairly supportive knee/shin guard. But the neck thing - I have read a lot of anecdotal evidence that they work, and a lot of relatively informed opinion that they work. I have never read of anyone experiencing a spinal injury through the use of a neck brace (ie the tail damaging their spine). I wear an EVS neck roll, and I have experienced one face plant where I was aware of the helmet stopping against the roll. I had no injury, but I have no idea whether the roll helped prevent one. On balance tho, it seems to me worth wearing one.

I've ordered an EVS Evolution.

[VMX247]

believing a broken leg is better and quicker healing than a hyperextension knee joint...
I'll agree to disagree       

[pirie593]

believing a broken leg is better and quicker healing than a hyperextension knee joint...
I'll agree to disagree       

Make sure that when you snap your femur that you are close to good medical help......or bleed to death 

[VMX247]

believing a broken leg is better and quicker healing than a hyperextension knee joint...
I'll agree to disagree       

Make sure that when you snap your femur that you are close to good medical help......or bleed to death 

   ah yes the femurs the big one-sorry     

[shorelinemc]

EVS evolution neck brace 300.00 including post 07 3821 6777 robin

[Tex]

Not sure about that ??

When it comes to any type of mechanical bracing wheather its knees or neck get advice from a orthopedic surgeon or at least someone in the ortho field.
It is really hard to measure whether neck or knee braces have any beneficial effect, there is a lot of anecdotal "i had a real big one, could have been a lot worse without the brace" and stuff written in magazines which is just regurgitating the manufactures claims but nothing convincing.

If you have a hard impact without a neck brace, the force is distributed over over many joints, if you "lock out" these joints with a brace you then concentrate the force into one area and are more likely to break something in a small accident where you may have got away with just being a bit sore.

 I have spoken to several ortho's about bracing ( a couple are quite familiar with MX) and all have said the same, bracing should only be used where there is a pre existing weakness in a joint otherwise you are putting yourself at greater risk with a brace on.

I'm not saying all this to blindly shitcan braces I would be quite happy to be proven wrong on this one, I just think there is a lot of emotion and marketing overiding the facts when it comes to to braces. The last thing you want to do is wear a serious orthopedic device that is designed and made by a clothing manufacture and is going to do more harm than good?

But don't listen to me, why not ask an expert

Food for thought indeed, thanks Mick22.

Does anyone know of an independent medical study that's been made into mx neck braces? Obviously there won't be any links from the manufacturer's websites...


Tex

[VMX247]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcSuV6sh_F4&feature=relatedLongneck-Taz
http://www.dannymagoo.com/
At the Paris Supercross, Chandler suffered a crash in a heat race that broke his neck and left him paralyzed.

After the accident, Chandler went through a tough period. Within the span of a few years after the accident, he went through a divorce and then suffered even further when both his parents died within a few years of one another.

Spurred on by support from friends and his newfound faith, Chandler worked his way back to being a man of action. He began to promote mountain-bike races and got involved with DARE, a drug-awareness program geared towards school children. Chandler also started coordinating children’s hospital visits by top motorcycle racers through his International Riders Helping People organization. Through his organization, Chandler hopes to generate interest in the sport of motorcycle racing with kids, and also to remind them of the importance of always wearing the proper riding or racing gear if they participate in the sport.



Is a Neck Brace For You?
So what is all the fuss about neck braces? Do they really work? Who's wearing them? And who's making them?

Well, I think it's about time some form of neck protection was produced for the dirt biking world. With so many neck and back injuries plaguing the riders in our sport, it's a welcome breath of fresh air to finally have a safety device that can potentially minimize damage to the spine.

Although, there still seems to be much debate about the effectiveness of such products as the Leatt Brace. Some people want 'scientific proof' and crash tests carried out on these products before they fork out a few hundred dollars for something that might prevent injury. Personally, I can't see how it won't help.

It seems KTM and BMW believe in, and endorse the Leatt Brace. KTM have had their Leatt Braces re-branded with their own logo and have a lot of their team riders wear them. The Leatt Brace has also been accepted for use in all NHRA (National Hot Rod Association) classes via it's SFI 38.1 certification. Many pro riders are wearing them too. Riders such as Ryan Villopoto, Mike Aessi and Darryl King are flying round the track with these human collars on.

Neck braces are not only used for motocross and enduro e.t.c... they are also being worn for use in racing cars, jet boats, super-motard, go-karts and other types of extreme motor sport where the risk of neck injury is high.

Although an ingenious idea, neck braces are quite simple in functionality. Their purpose is to restrict the amount of movement or travel in the neck during an accident. They achieve this by resting on your shoulders like a collar around your neck and forming a kind of base support for your helmet.

They have been designed to fit comfortably with most types of body armor and helmets. And the Leatt Brace Team claim that "one lap or 5 minutes is usually all it takes to get used to the brace."

The Leatt Brace is the original, and probably the most tested and thoroughly designed brace on the market. At this stage they have 3 different styles beginning at around US$400. They're made out of injected glass-reinforced nylon and/or carbon fibre and Kevlar. Alpinestars and EVS also make a brace at a lower price.

Should you buy one? I guess until it's undeniably proven to help prevent your neck snapping like a butchered chicken, it's your call. But when/if there is evidence to back it up,I would imagine it will become as vital as your helmet.

http://www.dirt-bike-tips-and-pics.com/neck-brace.html

[VMX247]

Neck protection is better that no protection.

Christopher L Vaughan, PhD, Hyman Goldberg Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Thank you for sharing with me the report by Land Mobility Technologies numbered R/1/00431/1 and dated June 2004. I have read this report in detail and I concur with the basic findings as summarised in section 1.2 on page 5. You have asked me for my own interpretation of these data, which I am willing to provide.

By way of establishing my credentials, I should mention that I am an A-rated scientist of the National Research Foundation in the area of musculoskeletal biomechanics, I have worked in the field for 25 years, and for 10 of those years I was Professor of Orthopaedics and Biomedical Engineering in the USA. During this time I also acted as an expert witness in the field of automobile accidents and impact biomechanics.

Injury to human tissues (such as bones, ligaments, spinal cord, etc.) in an impact can occur through the application of excessive force and/or displacement. In designing restraining and protection systems (such as seat belts, helmets and your neck brace) there is often a trade-off between the reduction of force and displacement. This is indeed the case with your brace: there has been a slight increase in force when the braces are used but there is also a massive decrease in the range of angular displacement at the neck (175 degrees for no brace, 110 degrees for your motorcycle brace, and 65 degrees for your car brace). In my expert opinion, it is this reduction in movement that is most likely to provide protection to the person’s cervical spinal cord and head. I must add that some angular displacement is required to enable the brace to bring the head to a controlled halt (impulse-momentum relationship). Should you require any further advice, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Christopher L Vaughan, PhD
Hyman Goldberg Professor of Biomedical Engineering
Director: MRC/UCT Medical Imaging Research Unit
South Africa

[Mick22]

Does anyone know of an independent medical study that's been made into mx neck braces? Obviously there won't be any links from the manufacturer's websites...

Tex

I haven't been able to find any independent studies into these braces. I got in contact with Proffesor Stepen Graves ( Director of Australian Ortho Assoc) as I had been a patient of his previously, a while back and asked him if there had been any studies and he wasn't aware of any.
 There are some studies to be found on the net but like any of these studies, unless you know the scope and the funding for that particular study you have to take them with a grain of salt....look long enough on the internet and you can find studies confirming Kermit is a real frog

[evo550]

 The last thing you want to do is wear a serious orthopedic device that is designed and made by a clothing manufacture and is going to do more harm than good?

I thought " Leatt" was the surname of the orthopedic specialist who invented it? I was also under the impression that they have supplying neck bracing for motorsport for years, including nascar, V8's and F1.
They also don't pay anyone to wear or endorse their product.
Bit more than a fashion accessory I'd say.

[Nathan S]

A lot of the arguments 'against' neck (and knee) braces sound a lot like the arguments against full-face helmets that used to rage in the early~mid 1980s...

[Davey Crocket]

This is starting to turn into a conspirousy theory . I thought riding motorcycles was fricken dangerous? and the more protective gear you wear the better your chances of coming off lightly improve with more/better quaility saftey gear you have on!!. The next bunch of juniors coming throuh the ranks wouldn't leave home without their neckbrace or kneebraces, to them its just like wearing boots , helmuts ect ect. The safer our sport the bigger and better it will grow and survive. Maybe some safety gear is a compromise but at the end of the day I think your better off with it than without it!! . We dont have- ABS, Airbags, Stability control, (most of us are probably unstable) on our bikes so we need to protect ourselves as best as we can. You don't want to be asking yourself,......    what if?......... . Cheers John.