The hills are alive with the sound of injury claims

The Brain Injury Group (BIG) has advertised in the magazine Mountain Bike UK urging people who are finding it harder to concentrate and have recently suffered a head injury to get in touch.

Cycling Scotland insists the sport is well run and those who take part are responsible and wear helmets. However, BIG says that when accidents do happen, they can wreck lives.

Marketing director Doug Phelan said: “We provide practical solutions, particularly in the traumatic cases where someone is in hospital for a period of time and where they are the breadwinner.

“It is easy for household bills and debts to rack up. We would provide free advice to help individuals on a practical level, access benefits and things like that.”

Doctors have previously raised concerns about spinal injuries in connection with off-road cycling.

David Allen, director of the Queen Elizabeth National Spinal Injuries Unit at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, warned in 2009 that an urgent review of mountain-bike safety was needed. Head injuries are rarer, particularly where helmets are worn, but remain a risk.

Douglas Gentleman, consultant clinical director at the centre for brain injury rehabilitation at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Dundee, said he had only treated one brain injury related to mountain biking, and that had been suffered in Spain.

“It’s true to say that all these sports – mountain climbing, quad biking, mountain biking –carry an element of risk that can lead to head injuries,” he added.

“It very much depends on the attitude of the people who are mountain biking. If people are serious about their sport, they will take precautions and keep risks to a minimum.

“I don’t have much time for people who go out and get seriously injured because they have not done the safety training that they need.”

Luke Griggs, spokesman for Headway, the brain injury association, said: “At Headway, we know how easy it can be to cause lasting damage to your brain.

“To that end, we believe that all cyclists should wear helmets, whether cycling on or off road.

“While there is no traffic to worry about while mountain biking, there are natural and obvious obstacles that can lead to bikers falling off their bikes and potentially hitting their heads. Thankfully, there vast majority of mountain bikers are aware of the dangers and ensure they are properly protected.”

Jim Riach, education manager at Cycling Scotland, said safety was paramount.

He said: “The bottom line is that mountain biking is a safe activity with huge benefits in terms of mental health and wellbeing. There’s the potential to fall, and loose surfaces lead to the chance of having a slip. There’s obstacles like rocks, trees and boulders, and the possibility of impact with these things. I suspect incidents happen when people are operating outwith their own level of confidence.”

The Forestry Commission is responsible for making sure mountain bike tracks are safe for riders and, if it fails in this duty, could be the subject of litigation.

A spokesman said: “All our mountain bike trails are regularly risk assessed so that they are fit for the purpose they are marketed for.”