An MRI picture authentically exhibits a “headspin gap” on prime of a breakdancer’s head.
With topsy-turvy dance strikes that require energy, finesse and — clearly — inversions (balancing and/or spinning on one’s arms, arms or head), breakdancers face the potential for damage every time they step foot on the dance ground.
One such damage, in response to some social media users, is the so-called
The pictures are genuine. Danish researchers first revealed them in a scientific case report within the British Journal of Medicine (BMJ) on Oct. 10, 2024 (the article may be learn in its entirety here). And sure, the pictures certainly present what’s popularly often called a “headspin gap” — truly, a tumorous mass or bumpb that breakdancers generally develop on prime of their heads.
Report co-author Christian Baastrup Søndergaard, a researcher on the Division of Mind and Nerve Surgical procedure at Copenhagen College Hospitals, advised Snopes that the “headspin gap” will get its title by the lack of hair that contributes to a bald spot or “gap.”
A scientific case report is an in depth, one-off report that describes the indicators, signs, diagnoses and coverings of a medical situation noticed in a person affected person, in response to the Nationwide Institutes of Well being.
This case report described a person in his early 30s who developed a “noticeable scalp protuberance over 5 years of in depth head-spinning observe.” The person mentioned he practiced dancing 5 occasions every week for about an hour and a half, making use of direct stress to his head for between two and 7 minutes at a time.
Although he’d been dancing for 19 years, the bump had elevated in measurement and tenderness over the earlier 5. Though it was “aesthetically displeasing,” he did not cease dancing.
MRI photos confirmed a thickening of the subcutis, the deepest pores and skin layer closest to the muscle, that made a “cone-head” form on the highest of the person’s head.
The researchers outlined the “headspin gap” as a “distinctive overuse damage in breakdancers brought on by repetitive headspins.”
(BMJ Case Stories)
Headspin holes are also called “breakdance bulges.” They manifest as fibrous lots on the scalp brought on by repetitive headspinning. One German study in 2009 discovered that greater than 60% of breakdancers skilled overuse accidents to the scalp, with about one-third experiencing hair loss and one-quarter painless head bumps.
Within the above-reported case, physicians eliminated the fibrous tumor mass, which was benign, with out subject.
The fibrous tumor mass is proven on the working desk in two projections with a ruler for reference. (BMJ Case Stories)
The affected person described his expertise as follows (as quoted within the examine):
My expertise all through your complete course of on the neurosurgical division has been superb. I felt properly handled and was acquired by skilled individuals. It felt like every part was beneath management, and I used to be requested the identical questions many occasions within the totally different departments to make sure that I had answered the necessary questions on continual diseases and allergic reactions accurately. This made it really feel like every part was properly organised and that I used to be in good arms. The nurses have been very skilled, current and caring, particularly on the day of the operation. They have been good at explaining how every part would proceed and have been wonderful at calming my nerves. The surgeons have been expert, and your complete operation and course of appeared like one thing they genuinely wished to do, not only a job. They have been very skilled and passionate all through the method.
The method from the start has been good, and I’m very glad. The result is significantly better than the way it seemed earlier than, and I’m glad I had it finished. I might select to do it once more if I had the selection.
It’s now doable for me to exit in public with no cap/ hat which is, in fact, a really good feeling. I’ve acquired loads of constructive suggestions and folks say it seems to be properly finished, that I’ve a pleasant scar, and that my general look has improved considerably. Many say that they now not discover that I’ve a bump and that my head seems to be utterly regular. I nonetheless have very thick pores and skin on my head, which suggests I nonetheless have a slight elevation. My surgeon mentioned I might be referred to a plastic surgeon if I used to be dissatisfied. Nevertheless, this isn’t the case. I’m very glad with the consequence and your complete course of.
The researchers wrote that the case report “underscores the significance of recognizing continual scalp situations in breakdancers and means that surgical intervention may be an efficient therapy.”
They added that there are restricted descriptions of the situation, though this is not the one time it has been noticed by medical professionals. In 2020, researchers additionally described a 38-year-old man with a headspin gap who skilled dizziness and nosebleeds for a number of years.
(Radiology Case Stories)
The person mentioned he had been breakdancing since he was 15, together with spinning on his head, generally with a helmet however primarily whereas sporting a baseball hat or cranium cap.
As a result of the situation is underreported, the researchers conclude that radiologists and clinicians ought to “concentrate on the scientific presentation of headspin holes to keep away from pointless biopsy and inappropriate work.”
