Bad helmets, bumpy ride a pain in Punekars’ neck

Can helmets that are meant to protect your head be the cause of your neck pain? If an analysis of patients seeking treatment for it is any indication, then this may be true.

Dr Kiran Shete, founder of Spinalogy Clinic in Pune, claimed that an analysis of 100 neck pain patients  revealed that 28% of them used helmets regularly and about 19 of them suffered from chronic neck pain due to the its wrong choice, fit and usage.

“For these patients, replacing their helmet with a one that fit well and a few basic neck exercises made their pain disappear,” Dr Shete said.

The orthopaedic doctor added that the problem was most common among those who rode their two-wheelers for more than 45 minutes at a stretch and that sharing of helmets was the most common reason given. “Instead of buying the right helmet, family members usually buy one that they can share,” he said.

Loose helmets, which force motorists to  balance them more aggressively, and fancy heavy ones, which exert excessive pressure on the neck muscles and block blood circulation, were common reasons for neck pain. In addition, riding on the pothole-ridden roads causes strain on the bikers’ neck.

According to Dr Shete, knowledge of right shape of helmets was the simplest solution. “Choose helmets that are comfortable, fit well, rests your neck muscles and  prevent jerky movements, are properly ventilated and ISI-marked.”