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Here we sit, nearly 40 yrs after the term "headbanger"  was first christened. It is said to of been coined while witnessing crowd members in the front row of a Led Zeppelin concert at the Boston Tea Party, keeping beat by banging their heads against the stage. Although there is some dispute as to whether or not that was the birth place of the term, it is none the less a phrase we all know, understand and have even used at least once in our lifetime to describe a fan of "heavy metal" music. Most "headbangers" no longer bang their heads against a stage, rather a constant forceful "yes" motion is used. It is this repetitive action that Australian researchers have confirmed can cause serious injuries. Most common complaint is a headache or dizziness, there is also a risk of fractures and brain traumas.

An orthopedic surgeon from Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, Dr. Sheeraz Qureshi, said in an interview on the CBS Early Show "I guess if you're not a head-banging purist and you're not banging your head against the stage and you're doing what the guys in 'Wayne's World' are doing, certainly, with those extremes of motions" (it will result in some of the injuries listed above) There is a higher risk of neck injury when tempos reach 130 beats per minute or more. Especially if your head and/or neck range of movement exceeds 75 degrees in either direction from an orthodox upright position of your head. "An extreme in the range of motion," Qureshi went on to say "certainly doing that violently and jerking your head back and forth" could cause serious problems.

There is still very little formal research done on the subject. Which makes for unreliable or unscientific based claims of injuries, such as hearing loss and even stroke.

CBS Early Show hosts and Dr. Sheeraz then suggested perhaps it is a healthier choice to listen to "new age" or "easy listening" over "heavy metal" music. I, personally, don't see many die-hard fans making the "healthy" change, do you?

~jeniPHer