So i just fell off and hit my shoulder then my head. I was wondering if there was a way/place that i could x-ray my helmet to see if it was ok or not. I understand that buying a new one would be good if it was broken but i’d feel bad for buying a new one without knowing if it was actually broken. :no:
Helmet companies recommend replacing the helmet if you hit your head; even a relatively minor impact can damage the interior. Some companies will take the damaged helmet and give you a discounted rate on a new one, so it would be worth calling the manufacturer to see if they have such a programme.
Honestly, with the number of head injuries I’ve had, I take no chances. My personal recommendation for you would be to bite the bullet and replace it.
Depending on how long you have had the helmet, manufacturers will give a discount on replacement. Charles Owen was 50%
Yeah, most companies offer you a new one at an extreme discount if you send the old one back them. I think it’s a great strategy because otherwise lots of people would be riding around in busted helmets.
Are there any external scuffs? To me, for minor falls, I don’t replace…
Any time your head and your helmet hit the ground your helmet has been compromised. It always gets me that people are that laid back about protecting their head. You only get one head and you can’t cast it if it breaks the next time you fall. Most manufacturers offer a replacement helmet at a discounted rate depending on how long ago you bought your helmet.
Every time your head hits the ground from an impacted fall, you’re supposed to buy a new helmet. Most companies have a crash return, depending when you bought it. I think CO starts at 60% off a new one if its a year old, 50% 2 years, and it decreases the longer you’ve had your helmet. The returned helmets go for testing and x-rays.
I agree with the above comments–if you know you hit your head, go ahead and replace your helmet. If I know for sure I didn’t hit my head then I don’t replace it, but, if I did, then it did its job–no reason to chance it! Glad you’re ok!
The reason you need to replace your helmet after any fall is because of the design of the impact protection. The foam lining in your helmet is designed to act in a way similar to what your car’s bumpers (crumple zones) do. Both are meant to crush without springing back into shape in order to reduce the impact on the occupant (you in your car, your brain in your helmet). On impact the car crumples as designed so that the cabin will crumple less, protecting the occupants.
By compressing without springing back the helmet foam slows the speed of your head and brain before it reaches the dead stop and rebound. A lining that springs back into shape increases the force of the rebound which pushes your skull back towards your brain harder and faster, which increases the brain damage when it hits the inside of your skull. The crush lining reduces the rebound forces, which in lighter impacts may completely prevent your brain from impacting your skull.
A minor impact may not show any obvious crushing of the foam lining, but there will be some compression. The next time you fall you may need that lost compression to reduce the severity of a harder impact.
You are smart enough to wear a helmet, and you just showed yourself why. Don’t risk losing those smarts next time you come off your horse.
I buy helmets that cost under $100 so that I never have to question the need to replace.
red horses is right, it is not about the helmet breaking or cracking, it is about the compression of the shell, which you may not be able to feel or see.
helmets should be replaced every 5 years due to the aging and loss of material integrity
a radiograph may or may not show cracks and damage and would cost a fair amount which could be better used towards a new helmet
No place will X-ray it because that’s a huge liability if they say there is no cracks and the helmet is fine. Because then if you were to fall off again and hurt your head you could sue.
Also we don’t know the entire circumstances of the fall. So I would not recommend basing your course of action and your head’s well being on opinions of others. To be safe I would get a new helmet, but only you can decide what the right thing to do is.
My rule of thumb is that if I’m glad I had a helmet on when I fell, I replace the helmet. Over the years I’ve had a few helmets reach “retirement age.” I’ve also had helmets (one ski, one riding) that didn’t make a week. Those were bad weeks…
Any time you take a trip and hit your helmet, you should replace it. Even if there are no visible marks, the interior could be damaged and won’t necessarily protect your head from the next fall. Better safe than sorry!
We had a customer slice the fabric from their Charles Owen after a fall and though the outside looked flawless the inside shell had a HUGE crack.
Always always replace.
