RE: Broken Collarbone - Best Protection against this is?

[TheGDog]

Hey guys,

Even though I was wearing my Thor Chest Protector which has shoulder cups on it suspended with that webbing stuff... I still managed to break the dang collar-bone.


I'm curious to hear everybodies experiences with protective gear that's on the market today.  Specifically if you've taken a downward blow to the top of your shoulder in a crash.

What is the best protection device to use against having your dang collar-bone broken?  I've now broken the right one twice and this is the 1st time for the left one. I wanna make this the last time. 

[Good]

the Leatt Brace helps prevent neck injuries, and from the looks of it, would help with collarbone injuries also.  Check it out.

[dnmac1999]

It only takes 8lbs of pressure to break the clavicle (collar bone). I dont think anything on the market is going to completely protect against that. The leatt brace is about the best thing ive seen to help with upper torsoe and neck injuries.

[KXcam22]

Gdog,
  I have broken both sides, one while wearing shoulder pads and the other wearing body armour.  I am convinced that shoulder pads (hockey style) offer better protection since they overlap and don't hinge.  My body armour crash was minor at 10 MPH while my shoulderpad crash was huge at 70MPH, same amount of damage (lots of other crash variables that I am ignoring).   My body armour hinges at the collarbone which I don't thing is that good.  Collarbones do break easily though. Cam.

ps. Body armour gives superior spine and torso protection.

[TheGDog]

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ps. Body armour gives superior spine and torso protection.
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By "Body armour" I assume you're referring to one of those zippered, long-sleeve, full upper-body suit/shirt things?  meh... maybe... but those things are very HOT to wear and HAVE to be washed after each ride.  Knew a dude that didn't and OMFG what a foul smell!

It interesting to see confirmed something I heard elsewhere... and that is that it takes only 8-9 Lbs of force to break the collarbone (if done right, HaHa!)

[KXcam22]

Sorry for any confustion.  By body armour I meant the typical all-plastic shoulder pad chest protectors you get nowdays, not the newer full body zip things. I made my kids wear hockey shoulder pads until just recently. Cam.

[don46]

I'm bringing this old thread back up because I think, at least in my mind, it deserves further discussion.

I tore my ACL, then I bought knee braces, maybe had I had them I wouldn't have tore my ACL. A few weeks ago we had a scrambles at our club, during practice a guy, who had been riding for over 30 years, high sided landed on his head. The wreck shoved his brain stem into his skull leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, he ultimately succumbed to the injury.

So now to my question, Who wears a neck brace? and if so what kind? I recently ordered a Leatt and hope it will offer piece of mind. I'm getting old, and landing on my head just doesn't work anymore, not that it ever did.

[Danger4u2]

If I had a good quality knee brace on, I would not have ruptured my patella tendon when I crashed.
It would have saved me $80,000 dollars.  I know when it's hot it's no fun to wear safety items.  I go without a helmet every once in a while.
Trip to the store, that kind of thing.  It never fails at my friends house that has a bad a**  wooded riding area.   They always say "We're just fun riding we don't need helmets".
But 45 minutes later their racing and Paul rides a Honda 3 wheeler.  So far no head injuries.
I always wear a helmet when I'm off road!  I would wear a neck brace if I had one.  But come on, the price of a neck brace is a new set of tubes and tires.
But yes we should all wear the safety items.

[don46]

I guess as I get older, maybe I think different, perhaps I am getting wiser.

for now I look at it just like a helmet, a piece of safety gear that is invaluable. You are right they are expensive, but, less expensive than being a quad. And I think with the internet we are hearing about more guys injuring themselves.

I haven't got mine yet, but it should be here shortly and we'll see how it fits.

[jBernard]

I'm bringing this old thread back up because I think, at least in my mind, it deserves further discussion.

I tore my ACL, then I bought knee braces, maybe had I had them I wouldn't have tore my ACL. A few weeks ago we had a scrambles at our club, during practice a guy, who had been riding for over 30 years, high sided landed on his head. The wreck shoved his brain stem into his skull leaving him paralyzed from the neck down, he ultimately succumbed to the injury.

So now to my question, Who wears a neck brace? and if so what kind? I recently ordered a Leatt and hope it will offer piece of mind. I'm getting old, and landing on my head just doesn't work anymore, not that it ever did.

dang thats horrible. really hate hearing that

proper gear is one of those things that i dont understand why people spare the expense on.
ive seen crappy helmets crack in half after a crash and owners not think anything of it and buy the same one again.

i've always worn knee braces while riding, they are a pain, limit movement, arent as comfortable to ride in, ect. but seeing a few buddies with torn ACL's. NO THANK YOU.
most good knee braces like my CTi's put the weight from the knee on the femur or tibia. a broken leg is easier to repair than a destroyed joint.

same i hear on the leatt, it is supposed to put the pressure from the neck onto the collarbones and break those first versus neck/back

[cmotodad]

I wear a Leatt! In 07 had a small endo on a little jump, I went over the front and broke the Leatt. After the legs went over the head, a  little sore with a broken back but no neck injury. 5 months later raced Mammoth and had a good year. For me and my family, neck brace is a Must Have.

[Brute]

I always tell people to wear all the gear. But,,, I am one of 'those guys' you have seen wearing shorts, sandals, tank top and beanie helmet at times on the street. I used to make a lot of 160 (320 round trip) mile summer runs on the HD wearing as little as I could get away with. Not a pretty picture! Just last year I purchased my first ‘serious’ off road protection and it saved my butt first time out. Very cool. It is nice to have.

[wierdo]

I work in a hospital in aussie and have seen results of some horror offroad bike accidents some with body armour of some type and some without, the only thing that i have seen in common with them all is there is always going to be something broken, and yet i ride with no protection really, i have my bmx helmet, long sleeve shirt, pants and steel cap boots and fingerless mechanic gloves. Last year while riding my mates xr650 i got high sided at 70kph going around a long sweeping corner ona gravel road, got thrown from the inside to the outside and cartwheeled in to the bush, come to rest ona small log. once i got my breath i told my mate to call the ambulance. got discharged 2 hours later from the hospital i work at and walked out with some help from the missus. yes i was bloody sore but unbroken maybe the restriction in movement is more detrimental to the body parts around the protective clothing in a crash. would explain why drunks walk away from carnage that should have killed them, and i've seen that as well.
when i raced bmx we would tell all the kids never ride slow it hurts more when you come off, you could say we were trying to motivate the kids to go harder but the truth is it really does hurt more if you ride slow.
morale of the story... ride hard but not too hard and if you come off relax and go with the flow, because really what else can you do?

[Ims Roll]

If done correctly it should only take about 8lbs to break any bone in your body.

[Marco810]

Ive managed to break my nose riding, so do they make nose braces? yes i was wearing a full face helmet