Session Information
Session Title: Research Spotlight: Musculoskeletal and Sports Medicine
Session Time: None. Available on demand.
Disclosures: George Raum, BA: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: To determine the most common injuries and conditions resulting from stationary bike and spin class-related exercise due to the increase in popularity of spin-based exercise and home spinning exercise platforms.
Design: Retrospective analysis of the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) Database of injuries related to exercise bikes for the years of 2015-2019.Setting : Approximately 100 emergency departments in the US.Participants : Patients ≥18 presenting to the ED with exercise-bike related injuries.
Interventions: N/A
Main Outcome Measures: Injury location, Injury Mechanism, Diagnosis
Results: Search of the database yielded 754 total injuries related to exercise bicycles between 2015-2019, 143 cases related to spin class. The average age of injured patients was 57.4. 52% of injured patients were female. Injuries most commonly took place in the patients’ home (22.7%). There were 23 cases of rhabdomyolysis caused by stationary bicycle exercise and 19 (82.6%) of the cases were due to a spinning class. 165 injuries involved a fall into or off the bike. The most common musculoskeletal injuries included strains of the lower back, knee, and lower leg.Conclusions: With the recent boom in popularity of spin classes and home cycling products with online classes, there may be an increase in the number of cycling-related injuries. Conditions such as rhabdomyolysis have been reported from cycling classes in the past, so new cyclists should be educated on exercise tolerance. A large proportion of injuries involved falling off the bike, so patients who are at risk for falls may want to avoid the activity. While the injuries reported here presented directly to the emergency department, the pattern of injury can be anticipated by the musculoskeletal practitioner. The risk of the conditions and injuries due to spinning and cycling should be considered when helping patients develop home exercise plans.
Level of Evidence: Level IV
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Raum G, Skedros G, Torlincasi N, Barndt B. Spinning to the ER: An Inventory of Exercise Bike and Spin Class Related Injuries [abstract]. PM R. 2021; 13(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/spinning-to-the-er-an-inventory-of-exercise-bike-and-spin-class-related-injuries/. Accessed May 20, 2025.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/spinning-to-the-er-an-inventory-of-exercise-bike-and-spin-class-related-injuries/