Background
Mountain biking (MTB) is an increasingly popular sport with high injury rates. Previous research has focused on inherent risk factors that may influence rate of injury such as age and gender. Risk homeostasis and risk-taking behavior have been previously studied in other extreme sports, but the effect of injury on risk-taking behavior in MTB has not been studied. Accordingly, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of MTB injuries on behavior changes and to identify predictors associated with change in behavior.
Methods
This is a cross-sectional survey study in which data were collected through online survey completed by adult mountain bikers who had experienced at least one MTB injury. The survey gathered information on demographics, biking habits, injury history, and risk-taking behavior in biking. Injury types such as fractures, dislocations, lacerations, concussions, sprains/strains, and contusions were all included in the study and were further categorized by body part, care setting, treatment interventions, and recovery time. Risk-taking behavior was assessed using a 10-point aggression scale in which participants were asked to reflect on their current behavior and their behavior prior to injury within the single survey.
Results
306 participants completed the survey with 149 meeting selection criteria of at least one prior injury. 104 (70%) were male and 45 (30%) were female. The mean aggression score was 7.27 (SD = 1.45) before injury and 6.39 (SD = 1.82) after injury. A paired sample t-test indicated a significant drop of 0.88 (p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that higher skill level and diagnosis of a concussion led to a greater change in behavior, while a longer time since injury was associated with smaller changes.
Conclusions
Risk-taking behavior is responsive to previous injury. Bikers who have been injured return to the sport with more caution and protective behaviors. However, as the time from injury increases, risk-taking behavior tends to return toward an individual’s baseline risk tolerance. These findings support the need for public health initiatives that address injury prevention and behavior modification in extreme sports like mountain biking.
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Return to Table of Contents: 2025 Emergency Medicine Medical Student and Resident Research Symposium
Post-Injury Changes to Risk-Taking Behavior in Mountain Bikers by Rose Domonoske, Theodore Hartridge, DO & Emad Awad, PhD