(February 19, 2010 - Insidermedicine)

Skiers and snowboarders should take a tip from bikers and start making helmets the norm rather than the exception, according to a commentary published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

While the effects of brain injuries vary depending on the precise area and type of damage, typical consequences include:

•    Memory loss

•    Impaired reasoning skills

•    Paralysis or loss of vision/hearing

Experts in neurosurgery from St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto are using cold, hard facts to encourage skiers and snowboarders to don helmets. They point out that head injuries are the leading cause of hospital admission and death related to these sports and that about 120,000 head injuries occur each year in North America alone among those engaging in them.

Wearing a helmet can reduce the risk of head injury by up to 60%, but the current culture among skiiers and snowboarders is not to wear them. The authors recommend some strategies for encouraging helmet use among the public. These include having snowboarders and skiers appearing in advertising wear helmets, having parents wear helmets to promote it among their children, and providing formal instruction on the importance of helmet-wearing at resorts, schools, and other groups.

Today's commentary indicates that the smart skiers and snowboarders, such as the Olympic contenders, wear helmets.