On Feb 21, 8:52 pm, Mike Vandeman
pacbell.net> wrote:> On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 13:27:33 -0800 (PST), bluezfolk
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yahoo.com> wrote:>>On Feb 19, 9:05 pm, Mike Vandeman
pacbell.net> wrote:>>> And cause similar harm to women.
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>>> Mike
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>>> Hard-core mountain biking may injure the scrotum
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>>> Monday, Feb. 18, 2008; 8:27 AM
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>>> NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Men who are serious about mountain biking
>>> may run a serious risk of injuries to the scrotum, a new study
>>> suggests.
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>>> Researchers found that, compared with hard-core male cyclists who
>>> stayed on paved roads, those who biked rugged terrain were more likely
>>> to show abnormalities in ultrasound scans of the scrotum.
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>>> Fully 94 percent of the 85 mountain bikers had some form of scrotal
>>> abnormality -- most often calcium deposits or cysts. That compared
>>> with 48 percent of 50 on-road cyclists, the researchers report in the
>>> Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine.
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>>> It's not clear what the ultrasound abnormalities mean, including
>>> whether they could affect mountain bikers' fertility, according to the
>>> researchers.
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>>> "Further studies should be undertaken to determine the clinical
>>> significance of the sonographic changes," write Dr. Michael
>>> Mitterberger and his colleagues at the Medical University Innsbruck in
>>> Austria.
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>>> Biking, whether in rough terrain or on paved roads, has been linked to
>>> impotence in men, and it's thought that pressure from the bike seat
>>> can eventually damage blood vessels and nerves. With mountain biking,
>>> the off-road terrain makes the impact on the groin that much greater
>>> and past research has found that male mountain bikers may have a high
>>> prevalence of scrotal injuries.
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>>> The current study included men who biked on- or off-road for at least
>>> two hours per day, six days a week. Despite the many miles on-road
>>> cyclists logged, the percentage with scrotal abnormalities was
>>> significantly less when compared with mountain bikers.
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>>> There are measures that serious mountain bikers can take to lessen the
>>> impact from below.
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>>> One is to take frequent rests while biking. Padding in both the bike
>>> seat and bike shorts may also help. Experts also recommend that men be
>>> sure that the seat is raised high enough and that it sits at the
>>> proper angle.
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>>> According to Mitterberger's team, bikes with shock absorbers and
>>> suspension systems "are mandatory to reduce the potential risk" of
>>> scrotal injuries. However, they add, riders also need to hone their
>>> technical skills to lessen the chances of injury.
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>>> SOURCE: Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, January 2008.
>>> --
>>> I am working on creating wildlife habitat that is off-limits to
>>> humans ("pure habitat"). Want to help? (I spent the previous 8
>>> years fighting auto dependence and road construction.)
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>>> Please don't put a cell phone next to any part of your body that you are fond of!
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>>Thanks for sharing your concern over scrotums with us.
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> Yes. I know that you guys don't care about your own welfare. Only I
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And itching for some "hands on" treatment, no doubt.
