Why breakdancing can give you a cone-shaped head

For people of a certain age, Conical is a cult film from the 1990s. However, it seems that for breakdance dancers, developing a cone-shaped head may pose an occupational hazard.

According to the 2024 report medical case reportA breakdancer who had been performing for 19 years was treated “vertigo hole”condition also known as “breakdancer bulge” this is a characteristic of breakdancers. It involves the formation of a conical mass on the top of the head after repeated shaking of the head. Additional symptoms may include hair loss and sometimes pain around the tumor.

About 30% breakdancers report hair loss and scalp inflammation caused by head shaking. AND a hole for vertigo is caused by the body trying to defend itself. Repetitive head shaking trauma causes epicranial aponeurosis – a tendon-like layer of connective tissue that runs from the back of the head to the front – thickens along with the layer of fat under the skin on the top of the head in an attempt to protect the bones of the skull from injury.

The body produces a similar protective response to friction hands AND feetwhere calluses form to distribute pressure and protect the underlying tissues from damage. Daily repetitive activities from holding smartphones Or heavy weights down to ill-fitting shoes that can cause blisters.

But the cone-shaped head is not the only injury which is what breakdancers are prone to. Common problems may include injuries to the wrist, knee, hip, ankle, foot and elbow and movements such as “fan” and “reverse rotation” can cause bursitis – inflammation of the fluid-filled sacs that protect vertebrae of the spine. A hit to the head is also not the worst injury that can be sustained while breakdancing. One of the dancers broke his neck, but they were lucky not to some major complications.

Read more: How do breakdancers avoid breaking their necks?

Others, like the Ukrainian breakdancer Anna Ponomarenkothey experienced nerve compression that left them paralyzed. Ponomarenko recovered and will be able to represent her country at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

As with other sports, it is not surprising that the operate protective equipment results in a reduction in injuries also in breakdancing.

But not only breakdancers have cone-shaped heads.

Newborns

Some babies are born with a conical head after their adaptable skull is compressed and crushed as it travels through the vaginal canal and the muscles of the mother’s uterus contract.

The cause of a deformed head may also be, among others: second chapterwhere fluid accumulates under the skin, above the bones of the skull. This condition usually goes away on its own within a few days. Babies born using a Vacuum assisted suction cup (known as Ventouse) – in the place where you place the cup on the top of the baby’s head to pull them out – a similar liquid lump may develop, the so-called in a bun.

Vacuum-assisted delivery can also result in a more significant bump and bruise called a cephaloidal hematoma, in which blood vessels in the bones of the skull burst. This is twice as often in boys than in girls and resolves within from two weeks to six months.

If you’ve ever seen newborns wearing diminutive hats in the first few hours of their lives, one of these conditions may be the cause.

Some children may also have “cone head” due to craniosynostosiswhich happens to about one in everyone 2000–2500 live births.

Newborns’ skulls are made up of many diminutive bone plates that are not fused together, allowing the baby’s brain to develop without restriction. Normally, once the brain reaches a slower growth rate that the bones can keep up with, the plates fuse together. In craniosynostosis, the plates fuse together too early, forming differently shaped head. Surgery may prevent restriction of brain growth, but is usually not necessary unless the baby has been found to have a well-shaped head six months of life.