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In-line Skating

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In-line Skating, Inline Skating, Rollerblading, Rollerblade, Inline Skating Injury

  • Epidemiology
  1. Serious injuries estimated at 100,000 in U.S. in 1995
  • Background
  1. Speed
    1. Cruising: 10 to 17 MPH
    2. Racing: over 30 MPH
  2. Braking
    1. Manufactured
      1. Rear brake (built-in and requires practice)
      2. Hand-held system
      3. Disc-brake
    2. Experienced skater techniques
      1. Spin stop
      2. Power slide
    3. Inexperienced skater techniques (25% of injuries)
      1. Falling (novices report using 8% of time)
      2. Skating onto grass (novices report 22% of time)
  • Causes
  • Injury
  1. Risk factors
    1. Roller hockey
    2. Skating tricks (freestyle skating)
    3. Age under 16 years
  2. Injury Causes
    1. Loss of balance
    2. Difficulty stopping
    3. Road hazards (debris or uneven pavement)
    4. Collision with other skaters
  3. Injury sites
    1. Wrist Fracture (accounts for 25% of all injuries)
      1. Distal Radius Fracture (50% of all Fractures)
      2. Scaphoid Fracture
      3. Radial Head Fracture
      4. Ulna Fracture
    2. Facial Laceration (10%)
    3. Wrist Sprain (6%)
    4. Elbow Fracture (5%)
    5. Lower leg Fracture (5%)
    6. Ankle Sprain (4%)
    7. Head Injury (4%, accounts for 50% of skating deaths)
  • Prevention
  • Protective equipment
  1. Minimum recommended protective gear
    1. Wrist guard (10 fold reduction in Wrist Injury)
    2. Helmet (ANSI Z90 or Snell B90 certified)
      1. Protects against Head Injury
      2. Protects against facial Laceration
  2. Additional Equipment (e.g. Freestyle skating)
    1. Elbow pads (10 fold reduction in Elbow Injury)
    2. Knee pads
  • Resources
  • Suppliers
  1. Adams Inline (high-end racing equipment)
    1. http://www.adamsinline.com
  2. Roller Bob (wheels and bearings)
    1. http://www.rollerbob.com
  • References
  1. Schieber (1996) N Engl J Med 335:1630-5 [PubMed]
  2. Thompson (1996) N Engl J Med 335:1680-2 [PubMed]
  3. Young (1997) Your Patient Fitness 11(5):27-30