I ran across this article by Mark Smith at Risk Sense that poses the idea that helmet use by cyclists may be detrimental.
Now I have seen many articles that discuss research showing how mandatory helmet laws can significantly reduce cycling and lead to a less healthy population, but this post also shows an individual risk for the lid wearer:
…Curnow points out that the most dangerous type of injury to the heads of cyclists are of the “rotational†or “torsional†variety. This takes place when the head and neck twist rapidly. These injuries can cause the brain to become detached from the connective tissue and the brain stem can be torn. It is these injuries that bicycle helmets make worse, and make happen when they normally wouldn’t. The thickness of the helmet causes the head to come into contact with surfaces that it would not in a person not wearing a helmet. Because of this, and the movement and sliding of a crashing cyclist, the helmet will “grab†the ground and cause the head to twist, leading to these extremely dangerous injuries to the brain.
My sister has been harassing me for my lack of helmet use, mostly within the hearing of her children as she battles to instill the helmet habit. Should I share this article with her?
See the entire post at: http://www.risksense.org/2012/06/14/the-myth-of-the-bicycle-helmet/