After years of spinning on his head, a breakdancer grew a scalp tumor

The unusual injury has rarely been documented by doctors, but more people have begun breaking in recent years as the sport has exploded in popularity, leading to its inclusion at the Paris Olympics this summer.

“This case underscores the importance of recognising chronic scalp conditions in breakdancers,” two neurosurgeons wrote in the report, “and suggests that surgical intervention can be an effective treatment.”

The patient, who’s in his early 30s and has been breaking for about two decades, said in the case study that his “appearance has improved significantly” since his tumor, which was about a quarter-inch high, was extracted.

“Many say that they no longer notice that I have a bump and that my head looks completely normal,” said the man, who’s unnamed in the report.

James Morrow, an associate professor of theater arts at Old Dominion University, told The Washington Post that he has a callous on his head from more than three decades of breaking, but he hasn’t seen a dancer develop a tumor from spinning.

“It sounds like a pretty extreme case,” the 48-year-old said.

Breakdancing evolved from a hobby on sidewalks in the 1980s to a competitive sport in dance studios three decades later. Breaking became a fan favorite during this summer’s Olympics as some performers achieved international fame, such as Australia’s Rachael Gunn, who goes by Raygun. Videos online replayed Japan’s Hiroto Ono, whose nickname is Hiro10, spinning on his head for as many as 21 rotations in one competition.

Many competitors wear hats during their performances to improve their spinning, Morrow said.

The Copenhagen case study said breakers are known to be at risk of multiple injuries, including tendinitis, shoulder impingement, carpal tunnel syndrome, hair loss and brain injuries.

Scalp inflammation is also common among breakdancers, the report said, and bumps on the head are sometimes referred to as breakdance bulges or headspin holes. A study published in 2009 found that 60.4 percent of 106 surveyed breakers endured injuries to their scalps due to head spins, and 23.6 percent had painless lumps on their heads.

Those lumps have not been thoroughly researched, the Copenhagen neurosurgeons said. They said a tumor on a patient’s scalp has only been documented twice by doctors.

Their patient’s training regiment consisted of roughly five sessions per week, each one requiring between two and seven minutes of head spinning, the report said.

About five years ago, the man noticed hair loss, tenderness and a small bump on his scalp, the study said. He found the mass unattractive, according to the report, but it didn’t prevent him from breaking.

He sought medical help recently when the lump grew and his scalp became more tender, his doctors said.

The neurosurgeons said they felt a bump between the patient’s skin and skull. An MRI exam showed a mass on his scalp that was about 13 inches long.

His doctors considered giving him steroids that might reduce the inflammation, the study said, but they ultimately conducted surgery to remove the mass and shave the top of his skull to its normal width and height.

The patient said in the report that he still has thick skin on his head, which makes his scalp stand out, but he was satisfied with the procedure.

“It is now possible for me to go out in public without a cap/hat which is, of course, a very nice feeling,” he said.