“When music hits you, you feel no pain.” – Bob Marley

Unfortunately, that’s not always the case.  This is especially true when head-banging music leads to spinal cord injuries that have symptoms similar to whiplash.  BoingBoing and the British Medical Journal have released data on ways to prevent neck injuries associated with listening to hardcore music as opposed to “adult-oriented music.”

It might sound silly, but our firm’s spinal cord injury attorneys in San Diego take all types of spinal cord injuries seriously.  To all you head-bangers out there, we got your back…and neck, for that matter.

Head-bangers can prevent spinal cord injuries while rocking out.

On average, there are close to 146 beats per minute in the typical head-banging song.  The tempo allows for mild to medium spinal cord injuries when head bangers rock their necks at an angled motion of 75° or more.  This is usually found in music lovers who nod their heads consistently to hard rock, rap or heavy-metal music.

People are always going to be listening to loud, thumping music enticing them to rock their necks as they enjoy their sounds.  So, how can we reduce or prevent this kind of spinal cord injury?

Head-bangers who want to lower the chances of suffering from a head or neck injury should minimize their range of spinal cord motion around the upper vertebrae.  Slower tempo songs are better to head-bang to rather than fast tempo ones.  Using protective equipment can also reduce the risks of spinal cord injuries as well, but the likelihood of someone wearing this type of equipment just to listen to music is next to none.

The best solution that our firm’s spinal cord injury attorneys can see is for you to bang your head and bend your neck to every other beat in the music, rather than each single beat individually. This way you give your neck a chance to rest before sharply bending it again.  By doing this, you cause less strain on your neck and spinal cord.

Music should give you a feeling of pleasure, not of pain.  By following these steps, you can keep rocking out long after your music appears on the oldies station.

If you or a loved one have been involved in an accident and suffered a spinal cord injury or paralysis, we urge you to contact our bilingual offices as soon as possible following the accident at 1-858-551-2090 or please click here for a free consultation with an experienced spinal cord injury lawyer.  We handle all cases on a contingency fee basis, which means that you owe us nothing until we recover money on your behalf.