In a recently published report by the BMJ medical magazineThere is a report from a breaker who had to have head surgery due to regular headspins. The man had suffered so-called “headspin holes” – an injury characterized by holey hair loss and bumps in the head.
Why breaking can make you sick
Surgery for breaking? That’s not that rare. Provided you do a certain power move very often: the headspin. As a report in the medical magazine explains, lumps can form in the scalp after years of practicing the move. These lumps are – at least in the case of the patient in the report – sore and cause hair loss.
But if you’re already starting to panic, don’t worry: the whole thing can be sorted out with surgery. The lumps of skin are simply removed and the matter is done. As mentioned before, headspin holes are not as rare as you would think. In fact, the illness, which is also called “breakdancer overuse syndrome” in medical circles, is well known among dancers.
Surgery for headspins: That’s what’s behind it
But now, to the question of all questions: how often can you do the power move without causing any damage to your health? In fact, there is not a lot of literature on the phenomenon. The reports that are out there suggest that you have to do the headspin three or more times a week for it to become a problem.
The breaker in the BMJ report, a man in his early 30s, has been part of the scene since he was 19 and practiced about five(!) times a week for about 1.5 hours. He invests around two to seven minutes of each session in different types of headspins. Incidentally, it took a few years before his condition became so critical that he had to have an operation: He noticed a change in his head five years ago – but continued to practice happily.
