Put "headbanging" somewhere between "booze" and "narcotics" on that ginormous list of enjoyable stuff that could land you in the hospital. There isn't a Surgeon General's warning yet, but two Australian researches have published a study that labels the metalhead dance move as "predicted to cause mild head and neck injury," with "definite risks of mild traumatic brain injury."
Case in point: Evanescence guitarist Terry Balsamo, who, according to the report, "experienced a stroke from head banging." in 2005. Why Kerry King isn't in a neck brace by now is anybody's guess.
The rest of the article, which you can read here, contrasts Beavis and Butthead's headbanging tactics (Beavis is OK, Butthead is not,) and offers advice for fans of Ultra Vomit, which is apparently a real band.
Is this a conspiracy to tame metalheads? Aren't moshing and going to shows without earplugs ten times more dangerous? Is there a better song to represent this story than "Bang Your Head (Metal Health Will Drive You Mad)" by Quiet Riot?
Ehh, let's go with Metallica's "Whiplash" (live in Seattle, 1989):
