Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Has anyone had any experience purchasing a suitable helmet for a person with a cochlear implant.
Im guessing you buy a bigger size and put in some padding?

celeste boy wrote: ↑

Fri Dec 09, 2022 5:15 pm

Has anyone had any experience purchasing a suitable helmet for a person with a cochlear implant.
Im guessing you buy a bigger size and put in some padding?

You (or your friend, if you're asking for them) might be able to apply for a medical exemption. I'm assuming some kind of device sits on the outside of the cranium over the cerebral implant, and you're looking for clearance between it and the helmet?

It might be preferable to cut some clearance into the interior styro ribs around the external device for the helmet size you would normally wear.

My thoughts are that placing padding around the rest of the helmet will be quite hot for the wearer, and would probably make the helmet less effective in its intended use case. While the styro would be thinner around the area of the implant, the risk of taking a hit on exactly that area would I think be less than the risk of taking a hit elsewhere with an oversize poorly fitting helmet.

Of course, those modifications would render the helmet non-compliant, hence the exemption, but you would have the option of not wearing one at all as well, when the risk situation made that feasible.

I wonder what the motorcycle crew do?

May find some info here to help.
https://hearandnow.cochlear.com/hearing ... r-implant/

Now this is a problem that I'd never considered or thought of. Pretty sure there are helmets that have a high cut above the ears and different lengths of where the strap V's down to the chin part because I've found some have more room around the ear area but that article linked above by John Lewis is a good starting point for info.

Foo

Wow!
Thank you for those replies.
1 day post surgery for me and I have much more confidence in returning to riding.
'Matron' at home has me on light duties and probably no riding till after Christmas.
CB

celeste boy wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 10, 2022 9:30 am

Wow!
Thank you for those replies.
1 day post surgery for me and I have much more confidence in returning to riding.
'Matron' at home has me on light duties and probably no riding till after Christmas.
CB

Great to hear and I just remembered that I have a mate up here that has two of them in and still uses the same helmet. He mentioned that it does take a while for your brain to get used to the implants as well as tuning the implant in, so good luck with you future with them/it.

Foo

foo on patrol wrote: ↑

Sat Dec 10, 2022 1:30 pm

He mentioned that it does take a while for your brain to get used to the implants as well as tuning the implant in, so good luck with you future with them/it.

+1 from a close associate of mine. It takes time. And it's different (she lost her hearing in the one ear in adulthood)

+1 from the MIL. Took a bit of time (she was in her mid 70's).

Happy to report that the 'headband idea' suggested on John Lewis's post worked for me today. On my first ride after operation.
Needed to borrow headband from 2nd in charge here and probably stretched it.
Thanks again for advice.
By the way: what's with all that beeping on the garmin, bike camera and that clicking sound in the rear wheel when coasting?!!
CB

celeste boy wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 29, 2022 4:54 pm

Happy to report that the 'headband idea' suggested on John Lewis's post worked for me today. On my first ride after operation.
Needed to borrow headband from 2nd in charge here and probably stretched it.
Thanks again for advice.
By the way: what's with all that beeping on the garmin, bike camera and that clicking sound in the rear wheel when coasting?!!
CB

Good to hear.

Foo

celeste boy wrote: ↑

Thu Dec 29, 2022 4:54 pm

Happy to report that the 'headband idea' suggested on John Lewis's post worked for me today. On my first ride after operation.
Needed to borrow headband from 2nd in charge here and probably stretched it.
Thanks again for advice.
By the way: what's with all that beeping on the garmin, bike camera and that clicking sound in the rear wheel when coasting?!!
CB

Ah, that's awesome.

And the beep going on the M5. Is it extra now?