Breakdancers' Odd Risk: a 'Cone Head'

The Paris 2024 Olympics allowed breaking—or breakdancing, as the oldsters used to call it—making it a joyful international competition. But Danish researchers have released a case study of a longtime fan of the street dance who developed an odd injury after years of head spins. The new research published Thursday in the BMJ Case Reports journal lays out the case of a Denmark man in his 30s who underwent breakdance training for nearly two decades, with 90-minute practices up to five times a week that included the signature head-spin move.

• The injury: For his efforts on the breakdancing mat, the subject developed "headspin hole," aka "breakdance bulge," which BMJ describes as a "unique overuse injury in breakdancers caused by repetitive head spins [that] manifests as a fibrous mass on the scalp, hair loss, and tenderness." In this particular man's case, he developed a "noticeable scalp protuberance," according to two doctors who treated him at a Copenhagen hospital. "In radiologic descriptions, the term 'cone-head sign' is used," they note, per the Guardian.

• Cause: "We believe the condition results from repeated friction between the head and the floor, combined with the weight-bearing nature of head spins, accumulated over years of breakdancing," case report co-author and neurosurgeon Christian Baastrup Sondergaard tells CNN. "This repetitive strain on the skull, scalp, and skin likely triggers inflammation, and over time, minor bleeding may lead to thickened skin and scar tissue, forming the characteristic bulge." The doctors note that in each practice session, their subject would spin on his head anywhere from two minutes to seven minutes at a time.
• Treatment: The man could've had steroids injected into his head to shrink the bulge, but he opted instead for an operation to take out the inch-plus-thick tumor. "The patient underwent successful surgical tumor removal, leading to aesthetic improvement and symptom relief," the doctors write. The patient is happy with the results. "It is now possible for me to go out in public without a cap/hat, which is of course a very nice feeling," he says, per the Guardian.

(More breakdancing stories.)