Background: Concussions account for 12.8% of bull riding injuries; however, concussion protocols for the assessment and management of concussions in the sport are lacking compared to other high-risk sports, putting the athlete at short- and long-term health risks. In rodeo, protective equipment for the head (i.e., helmet) is not required despite frequent impacts between the athlete and the ground, the animal, and/or the perimeter of the arena. Furthermore, riders are likely exposed to possible head injury from non-impact events during the ride itself (i.e. whiplash injury). Understanding head kinematics in rodeo may inform the unique loading environment of riders and concussion safety efforts in the sport.
Objective:This study’s objective was to pilot a mouthpiece-based sensor to measure head kinematics associated with typical rodeo events. We hypothesized that the rider would experience the greatest changes in rotational motion about the mediolateral axis (sagittal plane) congruent with greater risk of whiplash injury.
Methods: Mouthpieces equipped with tri-axial accelerometers and gyroscopes were custom-fit to rodeo athletes who were monitored during bull riding events. Head kinematic data, including linear and rotational acceleration and rotational velocity at the head center of gravity were analyzed alongside time-synchronized video footage to determine how the positions and movements of the animal corresponded to head kinematics of the athlete. The film and corresponding kinematic data were segmented by the motion of the bull divided into phase one and phase two of the buck cycle of the bull. The periods in which the rider fell off of the bull at the end of the ride were also segmented out, and any resulting direct head contacts were recorded in the film review.
Results: Data were collected from 3 bull riders during a total of 16 bull rides resulting in 156 buck phases and 16 falls – two in which the athlete’s head directly contacted the ground. The median peak resultant linear acceleration, rotational velocity, and rotational acceleration recorded during rides (excluding falls) were 3.6 g, 5.2 rad/s, and 141.0 rad/s2, respectively. The maximum peak kinematics for falls were 32.8 g, 38.2 rad/s, and 2433.7 rad/s2, and mean peak kinematics for falls were 12.3 g, 14.7 rad/s, and 825.5 rad/s2 respectively. Furthermore, the median cumulative angle changes of a rider’s head during a single ride were 1001.8, 1200.2, and 1094.1 degrees about the x- (posterior-anterior), y- (medial-lateral), and z-axis (inferior-superior), respectively. The largest cumulative angle change was consistently about the y-axis.
Conclusions: Rodeo athletes are repeatedly exposed to a broad spectrum of head accelerations during normal participation of the sport, both during the ride and fall. This pilot study provides a framework for future study of head kinematics and head impact exposure in rodeo and yielded the first head kinematic data in rodeo athletes.
Source of mentor’s funding or other support that funded this research: Department of Biomedical Engineering
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