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First concussion...

9K views 13 replies 9 participants last post by  Redmond513 
#1 ·
Got my first concussion this past weekend. Worst part is that this was my first time to Killington. My friends told me that I was cruising down the trail and caught an edge. They said that I went down backwards and slammed my head onto some ice. I have no memory of the accident or the next 6 hours. Good thing was that I was wearing a helmet (first time wearing a helmet). This could have been much worse. What sucked was that this happened early saturday afternoon. I had to spend 8 hours in the lodge on sunday until the bus was ready to leave.

I am a little nervous to get back on the board however not enough to actually stop me.
 
#2 ·
I'm pretty sure that I've been past the unsafe number of concussions lol. I'm honestly not sure if I could count them on my hands and I have all my fingers. I have a serious case of ADHD and I can't remember anything unless I am seriously interested and it benefits me. I think I made myself stupid from my head injuries. My first concussion was at 5 years old, banked my dome right off the concrete in the driveway. My brother is still grossed out at the sound it made, he said it was like smashing a watermelon. Then I had staples in my head when I cracked my head open jumping off a rocking chair and smacking my head off the edge of a countertop at 6 years old, had a concussion then too. I remember that to an extent because my parents refused to take me to the hospital saying I'm just over reacting. Like 10 minutes later I guess I said my head really hurts and feels all wet, when they told me to just go lay down blood soaked my pillow. I can't remember going to ER but I do remember they gave me a grape popsicle after lmfao. Then we have my hockey injuries, snowboarding injuries, ATV injuries... I've been getting hurt for as long as I can remember lol.
 
#4 ·
David,

You make a good point and I have been wondering about this myself. I have a Gyro G10 and I got a pretty good concussion wearing it, however when I look at the foam, it is all intact and not cracked..at least not that I can see. Does that mean it is still okay, is isn;t it junk now?

Thanks,

Andy
 
#5 ·
AFAIK there is not a single snow helmet on the market which is rated for multiple impacts. Just because you cannot see the damage does not mean that the helmet's integrity hasn't been compromised. Rule of thumb is to replace the helmet after any significant impact.

Although there's no standard for what constitutes "significant", I'd say that any time you knock yourself out, any time you get a concussion, see stars, etc., certainly qualifies as significant.
 
#6 ·
The experts all say that you should replace the helemet after any significant impact, no matter what kind of damage you can or can not see. I guess it's technically up to you, but I would rather error on the side of caution. You only get one brain.
 
#7 ·
Even if you are wearing a helmet you can still get injured. Helmets aren't made of physics defying materials to where they will completely absorb the sudden shock to your cranium.

It sucks you got hurt so early in the season but at least you are ok. I saw a kid smash his head on a rail, get up, then completely collapse. He wasn't wearing a helmet... Just gotta be careful.
 
#8 ·
The foam on helmets actually dents in on the part you can't see leaving a gap between the foam and polycarbonate or w/e the hard shell is made out of. Companies will usually X-RAY the helmet for you to determine the status of it. I'm bad at the helmet replacing part, they say how much do you think your head is worth?
 
#9 ·
Did pretty much the same thing you did my first day out this season less the concussion. New board + +new bindings + ice + me being over confident = caught edge and hit back of head:dunno: Loosened the two polycarb pieces of my smith variant. First thing I did is buy a new helmet. Id rather spend a few $ than increase my risk of a head injury :dunno:
 
#10 ·
Some helmet companies have "crash replacement programs." When I slammed my head on the ice last year, cracking my helmet in half, I sent it back to bern with a $35 check and they sent me a new one. You should check into it. East coast ice is so much fun, you'll definitely need to replace it.
 
#11 ·
You should go pick up a bern hard hat. I had quite a few falls this season trying new tricks in crapy conditions (super icey). And so far I haven't had a concussion this season (been out 25 times this season).

Personally I like the hard hat because even when you catch a edge (for a stupid reason, like being lazy with your turns), a small crash won't requrie you to buy a new helmet.

Ive had a about three hard impacts this season, in which the back of my helmet hit pretty hard snow, and my hard hat is still good.
 
#13 ·
Nevermind, I am going to take everyones opinion and just buy a new helmet.

I do have an additional question. When I got home on Monday, I went to my doctor as recommended and they sent me for a CT scan. They couldn't believe that the medical staff at the hill didn't send me for one. After you get a concussion, is the medical staff supposed to recommend you go to the hospital for scan right away?
 
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