Getting Into Scrapes

Chris Carter was racing down a dirt trail in Santiago Oaks Regional Park when he misjudged a turn--and found himself thrown head first over his handlebars, landing with a painful thud on the rough terrain.

“I had a good raspberry,” said Carter, of Orange, referring to the bloodied scrape on his right arm. “But I got up right away and continued riding.”

Carter was lucky. While scrapes, bumps and bruises are common to even the most experienced mountain bikers, reports of broken collarbones and wrists, lacerations and dislocations are also on the rise as the sport draws more fans--and more novices.

Mountain bikers nationwide suffered more than 36,000 injuries in 1995--a 57% increase from 1994, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, which analyzed the most recent statistics available.

Local hospital officials said the report echoes what they are more commonly finding in their emergency rooms--speed demons who start the day out on a dirt trail and end up bandaged and black and blue in a hospital bed.

“The injuries I’ve seen come through the trauma center are pretty severe,” said Dr. Patrick McMahon, an orthopedic surgeon at UCI Medical Center in Orange. “People are usually going excessive speeds and going over their handlebars, injuring their faces, heads and upper extremities.”

Many of the crack-ups could have been avoided, experts said, if only cyclists were properly equipped and took necessary safety precautions.

As the mountain biking season shifts into high gear in Orange County, Geoff Drake, editor of Bicycling magazine, pleads: At the very least, wear a helmet.

“A head injury is almost always a serious injury when helmets aren’t involved,” Drake said. “They’re so light and well ventilated--there’s no reason not to wear them.”

But don’t buy a cheap one, warned Laguna Hills resident Marcel Calborn, a 52-year-old cyclist who sells his own line of mountain bikes. He also recommended buying a name-brand helmet.

“Those people do a lot of testing, so you know that they’re made of much better materials,” he said.

The threat of serious injury doesn’t seem to deter mountain bike enthusiasts.

Kristin Niederhaus said she was spared serious harm recently when the front wheel of her mountain bike was caught in a trail rut, flipping her over her bike. The nasty spill cracked her helmet in two and left her covered in blood and bruises--but didn’t stop the Costa Mesa woman from hopping back on her bike.

“They’re bragging rights, especially if you end up with a scar,” Niederhaus said. “It’s almost like a status symbol.”

Some experts also recommend that mountain bikers wear protective eyeglasses, gloves and even elbow protectors, depending on the cyclists’ experience and the difficulty of the trail.

“I think gloves are important because when you grasp the handlebars for an extended period, you can actually get some compressive syndromes of the nerves of the hands,” said Dr. Stewart Shanfield, chief of surgery at St. Jude Medical Center in Fullerton.

How a bike “fits” is also critical--a bike that’s too steep or offers an uncomfortable ride can lead to injuries, many warn. And doctors and cyclists concurred that special bike shoes can provide foot support and a smoother ride, though they cautioned riders to make sure they know how to use them.

Most of the accidents Dr. Scott Forman, a Newport Beach orthopedic surgeon, has seen involved cyclists who simply fell over and snapped a collarbone because they couldn’t get their feet out of their pedals.

But be careful, some added, about over-accessorizing.

“The average person definitely has to have a helmet and a pair of gloves,” said 24-year-old Mike Faello, a salesman at a Brea shop for bicyclists. “But if you’re strapping on more gear, it’ll start cutting into your enjoyment.”

On the trails, also rely on the buddy system. Niederhaus said that riding alone is a “stupid thing to do.” She recalled a particular incident when she--and the Laguna Beach trail on which she was riding--washed out at the edge of 15-foot drop.

“My bike got caught on a tree, I broke my shoulder joint and I had to carry my bike back a couple of miles to my car,” she said.

Dr. Mary Bos, co-author of the American Academy study, said environmental hurdles accounted for 60% of the injuries detailed in the analysis. She stressed the importance of learning riding techniques--jumping, braking, turning and climbing--on the trails.

“And that’s from personal experience,” said Bos, an avid mountain biker. “You really have to know how to maneuver around or over obstacles.”

Take time to learn how your bicycle handles can help with obstacles such as tight corners and riding over rock, mud, dirt, and gravel, the experts suggest.

“I caution people not to be peer-pressured into doing something they’re not comfortable doing,” said Forman, the Newport Beach surgeon.

Despite all the advice, mountain bikers will still get into accidents, experts said. Pushing the limits of comfort, they said, keeps the sport exciting.

Irvine resident Marc Cooley, 27, didn’t stop riding after he suffered a painful fall while navigating over a cattle grate on Black Star Canyon Road in the Cleveland National Forest.

“There’s an inherent danger whenever you go out riding,” Cooley said.

“But I love this sport, and getting injured is just part of it.”