Summer (Bike) Medical Topics

The purpose of this page is to share some thoughts on topics related to your kids’ medical needs during the riding season. Some topics are things people don’t always talk about

Serious Injuries

Injuries on downhill parks can be very serious. Injuries can happen to anyone, no matter a rider’s ability. It takes time and experience for both parents and kids to wake up to this truth. Over the course of 10 years participating in this sport, my kids have witnessed other riders sustain these types of injuries: a broken femur, broken arms, cracked ribs with punctured lungs and torn spleen, busted face, concussion and broken elbow. We have heard stories about major lacerations, heinous road rash and just plain freak accidents.

If you are a parent going to a downhill park with kids, always consider the possibility of an accident. Talk to your kids about it. Invest in the best protection gear you can afford and insist on them using it every time. Make sure the bikes are in working order and the fit is on point. Invest in lessons on a repetitive basis (year over year). For young beginner kids who have a need for speed or kids with ADHD, consider private lessons if you think a one-on-one atmosphere will be more effective. Ride with your kids when they are not with instructors. Do not send under-trained, inexperienced or immature kids out on the trails unattended. Talk to them about being coachable, being in control and being humble. Keep your medical insurance card handy and/or make sure your teens have a copy.

Make yourself familiar with how any park you go to handles injuries, the nearest convenient care, the nearest ER and the nearest trauma center. If a rider is seriously injured, he or she will most likely go to patrol (if there is one), then to the nearest ER and if necessary, a helicopter ride to the nearest trauma center. My understanding is that parents are not allowed to ride in medical helicopters. If you have multiple kids and/or pets visiting one park using one car, think through how you will drive to the ER and possibly trauma center all the while juggling uninjured kids, pets, luggage, gear and bikes.

When our older kids were young, my husband rode with them and an extended group of adult friends. He always had multiple eyes on our kids and an exit plan if one person needed to be seen by a medical professional. As time has progressed we now have 1 beginner elementary rider, 1 college-age rider and 1 teen. The older kids want to go ride more than my husband has paid-time off from work and they want more independence. Also our kids want to meet their own friends at a park. My husband and I are still weary of allowing even our older kids to go to a downhill park without one of us in the vicinity. I am often the only adult on a trip and I am supporting many ages and abilities. In these situations, our youngest child is put into a lesson and then she doesn’t ride at all after the lesson is over to simplify the day. She and I will try to do other activities in the area that are off the bike park but we stay within access to the older the kids. Before my older kids hit the trails with their friends, we talk out our expectations to stay in control, the personalities and riding styles of their friends and I also say a silent prayer. As I mentioned earlier, my kids have seen and heard of so many crashes, their safety mindset is becoming ingrained. But still, I have to make up my mind ahead of time how to handle situations because I know if there were to be an emergency, I might not be able to think through all the logistics as clearly.

Talk to your teens about what to do if they get hurt or if they witness someone else getting hurt. Read the downhill park’s website page on safety policies and procedures. Talk to your teens about listening to their body and staying in control mentally. Riders have to stay mentally centered, focused and humble each and every time on each and every trail.

This bundled paragraph is a little nerdy and wordy. You can skip if you prefer.

Bike parks are governed by the laws of physics. The same immutable principles that govern the universe and all the moving parts of it are unemotionally lording over every aspect of a day at a bike park. A change of speed multiplied by mass equals force. A young rider with less mass needs less speed acceleration to be projected farther through the air but at a lower angle than a bigger rider. If a tree or a rock or root happens to be in the path at the height of speed of projection, the abrupt deceleration creates an impact force that can be tremendous. It takes more force to crack a child’s rib than an adult’s because kids are, well, squishy. This is important: an older rider may think nothing of going a certain speed into a berm. But the same speed can abruptly multiply at the apex of a berm and the resulting force can send a smaller rider on a collision course and an med-evac to the nearest trauma center. So, an instructor or a parent or an older sibling may perceive a speed to be moderate or even slow for their own body size, but it’s different for a different sized person with a different mass. The resulting crash can baffle everyone. They think, “we weren’t going that fast. He wasn’t flying through the air. How did he get that badly hurt?” And yet going too slow can be a problem as well. Without enough speed, a rider can’t make it over obstacles and risk falling over sideways. That’s the thing about physics. There are a lot of variables. Thinking you can fail proof a day at a bike park isn’t realistic. It takes a long view: a lot of conversations, an investment in proper gear and fit, a lot of repetition and intention to stay safe and plan for when things go south. So why participate? Physics is life. Real life. Not digital. Not AI. It is there always. Learning to feel it, name it, respect it and trust it is thrilling. It’s a powerful way to become oriented to the world and to one’s self. Confidence comes from trying new things, studying and applying ideas, making mistakes and trying again. So injuries are a part of downhill. But we want to keep the injuries to basic bruises and scrapes and try our best to avoid the ER.

Minor Injures

Road rash – Road rash is a term for the type of large skin abrasion injuries from falling and sliding across the top of pavement, gravel or trail. My husband is the wound care guy in our family. Stay tuned for his input on this topic.

Arm Pump – Downhill riding can be strenuous on the muscles of hands and forearms due to breaking and an ill-fitted bike set up. Riders can get something called “Arm Pump.” When my daughter gets it, it’s time to end the session and treat it with Penetrex or a muscle cream, over the counter pain reliever and a lot of fluids to hydrate. It means the fit of the bike and the brake levers need to be adjusted.

Ailments

Summer ailments – Many downhill parks have lakes near by. I take the extra precaution to clean my kids’ ears with swimmer’s ear drops anytime they swim in lakes. Chiggers and mosquitoes are a normal part of summer. I bring along Benadryl cream in my purse year round because an anti-itch cream is an easy way to sooth and comfort kids and it makes me happy to feel competent at something every now and then. Run of the mill bumps and scrapes are part of summer especially at a downhill bike park. It is really nice to have your own stash of bandaides and ointment.

Dehydration – Staying hydrated is very important. Push the fluids. Keep an eye on water bottles to make sure younger riders are using clean water bottles and fresh clean water. Younger riders are still learning the importance of attention to detail and won’t think much of drinking from a dirty bottle is that bottle is opaque.

Aggrivations

Helmet Acne – I am just learning about Helmet Acne. It can affect any athlete who wears a helmet (from downhill riders to hockey players to horse riders and wrestlers, etc.) Its acne caused by dirt, sweat and skin oils being trapped on the face due to helmet use. Now that you have a name for it, you can google it (or Uncle Chat it). Consider the possibility of not only acne, but also dermatitis caused by bacteria and/or fungus. Speak to your child’s doctor for prescription strength medicine when necessary. Buy an extra set of helmet pads and figure out the best way to wash the pads and helmets and help your teen devise a face washing routine immediately after riding.

PMS and anemia – For some teenage girls, menstrual periods can be heavy and put a young teenage girl in borderline anemia situation. Our daughter’s enthusiasm to bike would be there, but her body did just not keep up with her spunk. We ultimately spoke with our daughter’s doctor and found out she was low in iron. We are currently exploring options and she is feeling much better and enjoying all sports again. For these early teen years, parents can support girls by keeping extra feminine products and extra clothes and helping them managing it in a discreet way. Our daughter does not need this support so much now that she is older, but for several years, she really needed it. It takes an extra level of attention to detail that is still developing for young teenagers and they need the support in a patient, kind and discreet way.

Lice – For a certain age range, for our family it was around 2nd grade, each of my girls got lice. For that age range, it so happens that rental gear makes a lot of sense. The cause of my girls’ lice was NOT rental helmets. Rental helmets get sprayed almost daily. Most likely the source was…who knows…who cares…it happens. If you find yourself inspecting the head of your young kid, you are not crazy, keep the spot checks up. It is way easier to treat if you catch it early. If you discover it while on an overnight trip, it is a buzz kill for sure. It made me feel better to buy our own helmets because I didn’t have to carry guilt about possibly infecting the next kid.

Car Sickness – Sometimes just the drive up the mountain can make a kid feel nauseated. Keep them off the devices for the worst part of the trip. Arrive early to allow time for the body to adjust. Keep a protein snack handy. If we are driving all day and not riding at arrival, I give my kids OTC motion sickness tablets according to the package directions for age.