Return of Neck Braces?

Until they have safety ratings like helmets. No better than knee pads right now. 

I sleep in one because of the night terrors

Neck braces are great until someone does a scorpion and it kills them.

Please share evidence to back up your claim, and not anecdotal evidence. 

Action Sport EMS conducted a ten-year study using real-world data to determine the effectiveness of neck braces in preventing cervical spine injuries (9). The study included 9430 patients’ data from January 2009 to October 2018, of which 8529 met the study’s eligibility criteria. Among the total number of participants, 4726 indicated that no neck protection was in place at the time of their injury. Among the injuries were 239 severe cervical spine injuries. In those not wearing a neck brace, 100% of the cases required hospital admission and ALS transport.  Compared to those who were wearing a neck brace 73% required hospital admission and 42% required ALS transport. Study results indicate that a cervical spine injury of any kind is 82% more likely and a critical cervical spine injury is 89% more likely without a neck brace (9).

Great Lake EMS Inc., (2018). Neck brace effectiveness case study, Great Lakes EMS Inc. Retrived from https://www.actionsportsems.com/case-study-neck-brace

So, do you race in your running shoes? Because mx boots (and gloves, knee braces, pants, goggles, etc.) also don't have ratings like helmets, but that doesn't mean they don't protect you.

Please share evidence to prove he's wrong, and not anecdotal evidence.

Anecdotal evidence is what neck brace lovers seem to cling to.... Example: "Dude, I crashed so hard I woulda broke my neck for sure without a neck brace."

Hard to prove, and this argument has been beaten on this site, however, I went over the bars, landed on the crown, and I know that without the brace I would have twisted the shit out of my neck, I know it. 

I don't wear one anymore. Not sure why.  

Unfortunately we ride motorcycles and are not tied into a seat, like that of and automobile. Therefore when we do crash, unpredictable results. However as we age, bones not as strong as when we are 20-30. Recovery takes much longer. Injuries are more serious. We all think we are still 16, however we are in 50+ year old body. Not trying to be National Champ, just want to enjoy riding. Therefore I am open to any type protection incorporated into my riding. ✅🏁🏆

Does the neck brace absorb any force or transfer the force? Where does it transfer to and is that preferable?

Devin is making the claim so the burden of proof is on him to prove his claim is correct

Exactly. I made no claim. I did ask for evidence from the poster who made the claim though. 

old_can-am_rider did actually post results of a real world study. 

Thanks for the chuckle 

Here is the abstract from a study done a while back. I will see if I can find the full doc.

https://ibrc.osu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Abstract_2016_Sathyanarayan.pdf

Generally, it concluded the damage is done from acceleration before the neck brace is impacted.  There is a reason the Hans device limits movement to such a small degree of freedom. With neck braces becoming more "minimalist" it seems they are borderline useless. The neck/spine is a complicated structure so it would be good to see more independent tests.

I'd bet they come back in 10 years or so when they fine tune the airbag tech they've developed for street bikes. Early versions of that would deploy at incorrect times, but they've gotten better every year. I could see some type of rapid inflating collar (like one of those airplane pillows) coming out when they can accurately detect crashes. I don't see the leatt style rigid frames every coming back in style though. 

Who does, pays for and publishes the independent tests? I do know that Leatt and Atlas both test their products and post the results. You can even email Atlas directly and get the results of their testing. Not sure about Leatt on that one. 

Would you recommend riding without knee pads?

Just to be transparent, 6D used the test rig that we had built for our brace testing, at the same test facility. Helmet testing (for certification purposes) is extremely limited in scope.

For those interested, this info may help:

https://atlasbrace.com/pages/testing

https://atlasbrace.com/pages/design

https://atlasbrace.com/pages/myths

How can you have what would be considered a severe cervical spine injury and not require hospital admission? Problem with these studies is you can't compare two unalike accidents. No way to prove that any of those injuries without the neck brace would have had a different result with one. I wore one for years but the comfort improvement without one is pretty drastic for me. 

I think Atlas nailed it. A break away over-extension support that doesn't put all the pressure onto your spine. If you secure it as intended, you never even notice it and I feel like even if just prevents a sore neck in a wreck, it's a win. Even though they've come a long way from their original designs, I don't think you'll see the top guys wearing them though because of 1. gear deals and competing products and 2. they wear the least amount of protection they can for comfort.

I see a lot of parents putting one on their kid so maybe you'll see a resurgence when these mini kids move up to the pro ranks in 10 years or so.

Both.

The old neck donut only absorbs the force without redirecting it

Modern neck braces transfer force to chest and the dual rear post types transfer to scapular, while the construction of the brace absorbs/decelerates the force which has been redirected to stronger and less ‘fatal’ parts of the body.  So I guess both are preferable. 

For some reason this thread feels like I am back in 2010(ish) - same stories, same arguments, same big words,  probably the same people.  And here I am, giving it a bump 

Funny to see this thread. I was walking around the local cycle shop just window shopping. I tried on a Leatt brace and thought it was comfortable and didn't restrict anything. I haven't worn a brace in 15yrs but it made me think of buying one

The modern ones are much more low profile than the original ones, although they can definitely still be restrictive depending on your body type. Ideal body type is short height (so you can look straight ahead without having to bend your neck so much) with a long neck, if you had that body type then the only situation I could think of where it could get in the way while riding would maybw be a really steep hillclimb.

I wore an Atlas brace for a few years and forgot to put it on a couple of seasons ago. I have been riding without it and feel less constricted, although I may have to revisit wearing it.

Healing imbalances followed by mobility and foundational training will protect you more a brace will. 

Step 1 of absorbing/mitigating force is "freeing up the chassis" so the body works as it is designed to. 

That is one of the worst studies I have seen in my life and the fact Leatt cite is very alarming.

The study makes no reference to the types of riders, the types of accidents, nor does it even give a percentage of the number of riders who wear neck braces vs who didn't, at the time. They only measure after the accidents have taken place.  I can't tell you how bad it is. That means the data and conclusions are literally meaningless from a statistical perspective.

 

I often wonder if all the pros still wore them religiously would we all? Three atlas braces collecting dust in my garage. I do like the feeling of not wearing it but I’d be lying if I said I never think about the fact I should. Sometimes I feel like it’s a “safety in numbers” thing. Look around the track. Most guys aren’t wearing them. If they’re fine, I’ll be fine. There’s just no hard evidence either way. Only anecdotal 

You don't do safety by feelings. 

This study on Cervical Collars in Trauma Patients should be a big warning sign you shouldn't just do stuff because it looks safer.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3949434/

"The existing evidence for using collars is weak, and our practice is mainly a result of the historical influence of poor evidence. More significant and concerning, there is a well of less-appreciated documentation of harmful effects from collars. A practice change seems warranted based on a critical evaluation of the pros and cons of prehospital collar use in trauma patients."

Not the same at all.
 

It’s like concluding that motocross boots should not be worn because a study concluded — ‘don’t put a plaster cast on a broken ankle that you got playing tennis, before taking someone to the hospital’  — it’s not the same…
 

Their isn’t studies of neck braces for the same reason isn’t studies of body armor styles or knee braces or etc etc etc… the variables are too high and the effectiveness must happen across so many variables, both know and unknown… that while Leatt will release data we won’t believe if… but for some reason if Astars releases airbag data we probably froth… and while studies will show why rotational protection in helmets are the way to go, people will twist their ideas to swear by outdated Arai helmets.

There’s too many variables to ‘convince’ those that have chosen to disagree with what studies their are out there, and reach the antithesis conclusion with precisely zero evidence, to infer the antithesis… seemingly just ‘because’? I guess