Rose Domonoske

Background: Mountain biking is an inherently dangerous sport popular in Utah and especially in rural regions far from tertiary care. Current research on mountain bike trauma focuses on emergency department visits and national databases, leaving a need for studies encompassing all care settings and injury severities. Risk homeostasis, an individual’s balance of risk-seeking behavior against risk aversive behavior, has been studied in extreme sports, but not in the context of injury incidence or prevention.

Purpose: This cross-sectional analysis of mountain biking injury patterns will determine key risk factors and protective factors for injury. The second purpose of the study is to determine if injury influences one’s risk homeostasis and future risk for injury.

Methods: Cross sectional data was obtained via online survey starting in June and will continue through September. The study includes adult individuals who participate in mountain biking at any level. Recruitment was done through survey placement at bike shop, community forums, social media sharing, and in-person recruitment at trail heads across Utah.

Results: Preliminary data (n=214) shows 50.9% respondents reporting at least one injury. Using a ten-point scale, pre-injury biking aggression averaged to 7.073 and dropped to 6.358 post-injury (p<.001). Participants with a history of only one injury dropped by -0.881, more negative than their counterparts with a multi-injury history who averaged -0.530, but preliminary analysis is not statistically significant.

Conclusion: An injury history is does lower one’s personal risk tolerance in mountain biking. Having an adaptable risk tolerance may be protective but further analysis is necessary.