Why breakdancing may give you a cone-shaped head

For these of a sure age, Coneheads is an iconic 90s movie. However for breakdancers, it appears, creating a cone-shaped head might be an occupational hazard.

Based on a 2024 medical case reporta breakdancer who’d been performing for 19 years was handled for “headspin gap”a situation often known as “breakdancer bulge” that’s distinctive to breakdancers. It entails a cone formed mass creating on prime of the scalp after repetitive head-spinning. Further signs can embody hair loss and typically ache across the lump.

Roughly 30% of breakdancers report hair loss and irritation of their scalp from head-spinning. A headspin gap is brought on by the physique making an attempt to guard itself. The repeated trauma from head-spinning causes the epicranial aponeurosis – a layer of connective tissue just like a tendon, working from the again of your head to the entrance – to thicken together with the layer of fats beneath the pores and skin on prime of the pinnacle in an try to guard the bones of cranium from damage.

The physique causes the same protecting response to friction on the fingers and toesthe place callouses kind to unfold the strain and shield the underlying tissues from injury. On a regular basis repetitive actions from holding smartphones or heavy weights by to poorly becoming sneakers can lead to callouses.

However a cone-shaped head isn’t the one damage to which breakdancers are susceptible, nonetheless. Widespread points can embody wrist, knee, hip, ankle, foot and elbow accidents, and strikes such because the “windmill” and the “backspin” may cause bursitis – irritation of the fluid crammed sacs that shield the vertebrae of the backbone. A headspin gap isn’t the worst damage you might maintain from breakdancing both. One dancer broke their neck however fortunately they have been fortunate sufficient to not have any main problems.

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Learn extra:
How do breakdancers keep away from breaking their necks?

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Others, similar to Ukrainian breakdancer Anna Ponomarenkohave skilled pinched nerves which have left them paralysed. Ponomarenko recovered to characterize her nation within the Paris 2024 Olympics.

As with different sports activities, it’s unsurprising to listen to that using protecting gear leads to the discount of accidents in breakdancing too.

However breakdancers aren’t the one ones to develop cone formed heads.

Newborns

Some infants are born with a conical head after their pliable cranium has been squeezed and squashed through the journey by the vaginal canal and the muscular contractions of mom’s uterus.

A misshapen head can be brought on by the second chapterthe place fluid collects beneath the pores and skin, above the cranium bones. Often, this situation resolves itself inside just a few days. Infants who’ve been delivered utilizing a vacuum assisted cup (referred to as a Ventouse) – the place the cup is utilized to the highest of the newborn’s head to tug them out – can develop the same fluid lump known as in a bun.

Vacuum assisted supply may also lead to a extra vital lump and bruising known as a cephalohematoma, the place blood vessels within the bones of the cranium rupture. That is twice as frequent in boys than in women and resolves inside two weeks to 6 months.

In the event you’ve ever seen newborns carrying tiny hats within the first few hours of their life, then considered one of these situations will be the motive.

Some youngsters might also current with “cone-head” because of craniosynostosiswhich happens in about one in each 2,000-2,500 stay births.

New child skulls are made up of plenty of small bony plates that aren’t fused collectively, which permits infants’ brains to develop with out restriction. Often, as soon as the mind reaches a slower development tempo that the bones can sustain with, the plates fuse collectively. In craniosynostosis, the plates fuse collectively too early creating in another way formed heads. Surgical procedure can forestall mind development restriction however is often pointless if the kid hasn’t been recognized as having an formed head by six months of age.