MX Round Up

It was a busy schedule of motocross this weekend with the GP series arriving in France and the fourth round of the UK Nationals surviving the weather and going ahead at Pontrilas near Hereford.

In the MX2 class in France two time world champion Jeffrey Herlings maintained his championship lead by finishing first overall in France, following on from the same result at last week's British GP. Dutch teenager Herlings now leads the MX standings by 45 points from Swiss rider Arnaud Tonus.
Italian rider Antonio Cairoli committed an error in each race of the weekend to finish third overall in the MXGP class. The seven time world champion still sits on top of the overall standings and on course for his sixth MXGP championship in a row.

In the UK Nationals young rider Ben Watson came out on top for the weekend, ahead of MX2 championship leader Neville Bradshaw in second. Adam Sterry was on course for victory until bike issues caused him to leave the third race of the weekend and finish in fourth overall.

Ben's older brother Nathan made it a Watson victory in each class and ensured he remained in the overall championship lead in MX1. His nearest rival in the championship, Kristian Whatley, finished second on the day to keep the heat on Nathan.

MX Injury

Motocross is a popular sport all around the world with participants ranging from amateur club level riders to professionals competing in front of 32,000 people at the GP series. However, like all motor sports, it is extremely dangerous and without proper care the risk of injury is high. A quick look at an MX Vice blog tells us about fourteen rider's currently injured and unable to ride. These injuries are widely varied in nature and include dislocated knees, hips and shoulders, broken bones and knee ligament damage. Some of the more frequent injuries include:

Knee Ligament Damage

The Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) is at high risk during motocross. This ligament works to prevent the shin bone moving forward of the thigh bone. It also helps to prevent too much rotation at the knee. Both of these actions can occur when the rider is planting their leg in the turns or if they land a jump with their leg over extended. Many riders wear a rigid framed knee support to control the movement of the knee, this looks to prevent these types of knee injuries rather than the long process of recovery from a torn ACL.

Wrist Injury

Falling off the bike onto an outstretched hand is one of the more common ways of damaging the wrist, whether this is damaging ligaments of the wrist or breaking one of the many bones in the joint. If the wrist is damaged there are a variety of wrist support products available to immobilise the joint and allow for recovery. Unfortunately this will severely limit the ability to ride, however this is probably for the best during recovery.

About the Author

Dave Regis discusses the use of orthotics for the management of knee injurieshttp://www.ossurwebshop.co.uk/categories/browse-by-sport/motocross/ reviewing injury rehabilitation through exercise and the use of bracing and supports. He writes articles focussing on the use of a knee supporthttp://www.ossurwebshop.co.uk/categories/braces-%26-supports/knee-support/ and other methods of rehabilitation.