Older Motorcyclists Linked with More Serious Injuries

[_cy_]

Older Motorcyclists Linked with More Serious Injuries: Grandpa Spending More Time in the Emergency Room

Middle-aged riders were somewhat less likely to suffer an accident than their counterparts, but were still 66 percent more likely to sustain serious injury than were younger bikers.

It's always good to "get your motor running," but for the older generation, this can mean more serious motorcycle injuries.

A Brown University study published Wednesday in the journal Injury Prevention, found that bikers age 60 and over were 2 1/2 times more likely to wind up in an emergency room with severe injuries than were riders in their 20s and 30s.

Middle-aged riders were somewhat less likely to suffer an accident than their counterparts, but were still 66 percent more likely to sustain serious injury than were younger bikers.

"There are always some risks involved with motorcycles," said lead author Tracy Jackson, a doctoral student of epidemiology at Brown's Public Health Program. "But there may be some physical factors that make older riders more prone to being in an accident, or more prone to injury."

Reports also listed that older and middle-aged adults were also more likely to suffer internal organ injuries, most commonly including brain injuries. However, younger riders were more likely to suffer less serious injuries, including but not limited to contusions, abrasions, strains or sprains.

Bone fractures were the most common injuries among all groups of riders. However, the groups highest at risk for the most serious kinds were older.

"The greater severity of injuries among older adults may be due to the physiological changes that occur as the body ages," the authors wrote. "Bone strength decreases, subcutaneous and visceral fat distribution may change, and there is a decrease in the elasticity of the chest wall. ... Other factors such as delayed reaction time, altered balance and worsening vision may also make older adults more prone to getting into crashes," the authors wrote.

Statistics show that a quarter of motorcycle riders in the U.S. are 50 or older. Previous regional studies have shown that injuries among riders who were 65 or older increased 87% between 2001 and 2007, while fatalities in that same group increased 145 percent.

And overall, authors found that the older riders had a higher risk of hospitalization at 35 percent, while the middle-aged riders had a rate of 25 percent and younger riders only had a rate of being hospitalized at 15 percent.

"The highest rates of hospitalization were for injuries to the head/neck, upper trunk and lower trunk, with older adults being hospitalized approximately half the time they sustained injuries to these sites," the authors wrote.
http://www.scienceworldreport.com/ar...es-grandpa.htm

[Okie Preacher]

No news here. I used to bounce.

[Klay]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21350883

[concours]

"Reports also listed that older and middle-aged adults were also more likely to suffer internal organ injuries, most commonly including brain injuries."


Do-rags with skull and crossbones offer little protection.

[BanjoBoy]

Originally Posted by Okie Preacher

No news here. I used to bounce.

Yeah, I used ta be invincible too, butt now...

[dwoodward]

Originally Posted by _cy_

Older Motorcyclists Linked with More Serious
A Brown University study published Wednesday in the journal Injury Prevention, found that bikers age 60 and over were 2 1/2 times more likely to wind up in an emergency room with severe injuries than were riders in their 20s and 30s.

Ladies and gentlemen, your tax dollars at work.

We need to bolster the general fund account and give research assistants something easy to keep them out of trouble... Quick- to the Obvious Hypothesis Generator!

[mattoid1]

Not news to me, everything hurts worse than 40 years ago as a 20 year old.

[SloMo228]

I wonder how much money was spent to discover the fact that people in their 20s are more resilient than people who are 40+?

[GrouchyGeezer]

Youth is wasted on the young!

[Celtic Curmudgeon]

Im sure a similar study would conclude that a 38 year old NFL player is more likely to suffer an injury during a game than a 22 yr old at the same position.

The important question is "Do the results of this study persuade anyone on this forum to stop riding?"

Wear more gear and keep on truckin'......

[Bill Harris]

No joke. Us old guys just don't bounce as well. Gots ta be carefuller.

--Bill

[folknride]

Originally Posted by Celtic Curmudgeon

"Do the results of this study persuade anyone on this forum to stop riding?"

NO

[drrider1]

Originally Posted by mattoid1

Not news to me, everything hurts worse than 40 years ago as a 20 year old.

yep, and what don't hurt gets numb after 500 miles.............

[PeterW]

Originally Posted by Bill Harris

No joke. Us old guys just don't bounce as well. Gots ta be carefuller.

--Bill

I (provably) still bounce O.K., you other old bastards - harden up

I thnk one of the BIG differences is motivation, when young, you have an incentive to ignore the pain, older - meh - I'm not going to get any anyway

And those stats are likely heavilly biased by the US cruiser stats, post middle age old bastards falling off on the way back from the bar. Those assless chaps don't provide a whole lot of protection.

Pete

[Dan-M]

Is this news? Sometimes I feel like I've suffered a serious injury by sleeping in the wrong position.