BMJ  2005;330 (5 February), doi:10.1136/bmj.330.7486.0-a

Helmets protect skiers and snowboarders, but may also cause harm

Helmets seem effective in protecting skiers from head injuries, but their role in protecting from neck injuries remains unclear. In a case-control study, Hagel and colleagues (p 281) compared estimates of matched odds ratios for the effect of helmet use on the risk of any head and neck injury, and they found that wearing a helmet reduced the risk of head injury by 29%. Results for neck injury had wide confidence intervals, so these authors could not rule out the possibility that wearing a helmet actually increases the risk of neck injury.

Credit: CHRISTOF SONDEREGGER/SWISS TB

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Effectiveness of helmets in skiers and snowboarders: case-control and case crossover study

Brent E Hagel, I Barry Pless, Claude Goulet, Robert W Platt, and Yvonne Robitaille
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