State-of-the Art Protective Gear

Had been talking with my orthopod about the possibility of resuming motorcycle riding after we work the quirks out of my neck: 3 fusions so far and starting radiofrequency nerve ablations today to help with a postoperative pain syndrome. Had already concluded I woulde need some type of advanced neck proctection and stabilization involving a tight torso jacket to stabilize a neck brace, possibly with connections between helmet and brace. Lo and behold, Alpinestars is way ahead of me. They have adaptations of this system for both dirt and street riding. Pricey until you consider what your neck does; my injury wasn't motorcycle related, but maybe this will let me get back on one:

http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/categor ... upport-cf/

http://www.alpinestars.com/shop/categor ... t-for-bns/

leatt also makes similar products and seem to be getting more press than astars. seems like a good idea, but somethings to consider:

1. (obviously) no product can guarantee against deadly/debilitating neck injury from an accident
2. your fusion means you won't have full range of motion, period. all of these braces are meant to be adjusted for somebody with a "normal" neck to stop it from exceeding the safer limits. Your brace, in theory, will need to be adjusted so it limits much earlier in your range to lessen the risk of damage to your fusion. if you discussed this w/ your doc, perhaps consult with him further on what movements they'd like you to restrict most per the procedure u had

delving beyond the gear w/o derailing this post, why the fusion in the first place? was it for painful symptoms? did the fusion succeed in this regard or did it not, leading to the radio ablation? did you try physio before to address the pain? (sorry i'm a PT and see plenty of folks w/ neck pain who've had fusions w/ limited improvement. feel free to NOT indulge me)

have fun getting back to riding, stay safe!

New (-ish ?):

I read an article in Motorcyclist today about the Leatt STX Brace. They gave it high marks for comfort and range of motion. The only criticism they had of the brace was that it choked them when in a full tuck.

"At speed, you don't notice the low-profile STX at all. Most helmets only contact the brace at the limits of normal motion, but check compatibility with your preferred lid. Shoei, Araai and Bell helmets worked but a deep-skirted Icon was an interference fit. Even hanging off, the brace didn't rattle either -- nearing 170 mph on Road Aerica's front straight, it still stayed put."

"The only issue is tucking behind the fairing. Lay on the tank and the thin blade-like collar pushed up and crushes your windpipe, making it impossible to maintain a full aerodynamic tuck. This is the reason why you don't see any professional road racers rocking the Leatt yet. Speed trumps safety, at least in the pro ranks."

Meh - what's a little choking while riding a moto.

Lots of choice on the market ,EVS ,Leatt ,Omega , Atlas, Alpinestar however no one can honestly say if they work, some say they case more injury.
I have the EVS RC Evolution that I believe I put to test the first time I wore it and will now not ride without it.

Another option is possibly something like the Hans Device

Worth looking at for the massive (and weird) stack if nothing else
http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/ ... s-do-work/

Does anyone know if you can use any of these braces for both on and off road?

"zen" out bro...there are a lot of docs of something out there and I never assume which, but good on ya. just tossin some c's. seems like you actually share a lot of the same thoughts, despite.

bout ur ortho, sounds consistent w/ most orthopods. they couldn't give a sh!t what their patients do so long as they get the $ from the procedure. heck, having u break ur neck again and needing a revision surgery (knock on wood) would mean even more cash in hand. u know his position on biking, so why bother discussing w/ him in the first place?

re: MOI. i see lots of folks who get fusions over atraumatic issues, i just hope ur procedure helped get u better. TBH, it doesn't matter to me one bit.

good thread on neck bracing tech. was toying with getting a safermoto hi-vis vest for street riding myself...maybe to help prevent needing such a procedure in the future

Here is the Leatt model I"m leaning toward. Just need money:

http://www.leatt-brace.com/index.php/ch ... tt-gpx-pro

Long hair or short would have made no difference to Marco being with us today or not. You get hit in the back of the head/neck by another bike at speed and you are toast. I think we all knew from the moment of that crash that he was dead. When they were saying he'd regained consciousness just after I was amazed. As it turned out that wasn't the case. There are just come things you can't protect against and a 150 kg bike + 70kg rider hitting you at 60+ mph (someone do the maths) in the neck/head is not somewhere you ever want to be.