REMSA Special Operations Teams: Rodeo Medics

Air Date: 6/23/2003

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Injury. It’s a bull rider’s inevitable enemy. In fact, it has been said that in professional bull riding, it’s not if you get hurt, but rather when and how bad. Working in conjunction with the Justin Sportsmedicine team, REMSA’s highly trained Paramedics and EMTs have been providing medical coverage to the riders at the Reno Rodeo for the past several years.

According to Tandy Freeman, Director of Medical Services for the Professional Bull Riders,

• Concussions are the most frequent injury with bull riders
• Concussions occur when either the bull rider’s head collides with the bulls head or horn and when the bull rider’s heal hits the ground as he is thrown from the bull
• Protective vests have been credited with drastically reducing the percentage of serious chest and internal injuries among bull riders

Statistics Provided by the Justin Boot Company’s Sports Medicine Team:

Percent of Injuries Per Event:

Bull Riding: 49%
Bareback Riding: 23%
Saddle Bronc Riding: 16%
Steer Wrestling: 8%
Calf Roping: 3%
Team Roping: 1%

Major Injuries in Rodeo from 1981-2000:

Concusions – 436
Shoulder Fracture/Dislocation – 83
Chest Injury- 58
Knee Ligaments- 34
Facial/Jaw Fracture – 23

Percent of Injuries Per Location from 1981-2000:

Head/Face – 13.7%
Shoulder – 11.46%
Chest –3.74%
Knee – 12.24%

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