Elsevier

Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Volume 70, Issue 8, August 1995, Pages 752-754
Mayo Clinic Proceedings

In-Line Skating Injuries

https://doi.org/10.4065/70.8.752Get rights and content

Objective

To assess the type and site of injuries associated with in-line skating in patients encountered during an 18-month period.

Design

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of patients in our emergency department and Sports Medicine Center with injuries that had resulted from in-line skating between July 1992 and December 1993.

Material and Methods

A computer search was conducted to identify medical records on which in-line skating was denoted as the mechanism of injury. The records were then manually reviewed to confirm that the injury had occurred during in-line skating. The patient's sex, age, type of injury, and injured body part were recorded.

Results

During the designated study period, 32 in-line skating injuries were recorded in 32 patients (19 female and 13 male skaters). The mean age of the study group of injured skaters was 17 years (range, 6 to 46). An upper extremity was involved in 78% of all injuries, and the wrist was the body part most often injured (56%). A lower extremity was involved in 16% of all injuries, including two that were severe. Of the 32 injuries, 62% were fractures, and surgical treatment was necessary for only 1 injury during the study period.

Conclusion

In this study, in-line skating injuries most commonly involved the upper extremities. Fractures, particularly of the distal radius, were the most common type of injury. Lower extremity trauma was less frequent, but severe injuries can occur. Further prospective studies are needed.

Section snippets

METHODS

We conducted a computer search to identify all medical records that mentioned in-line skating or roller-blading injuries in patients encountered in the emergency department or our Sports Medicine Center between July 1992 and December 1993. The records were then manually reviewed to confirm that the injury occurred during in-line skating. The patient's sex, age, type of injury, and injured body part were recorded.

RESULTS

During the defined study period, 32 in-line skating injuries were recorded in 32 patients, including 19 female (59%) and 13 male (41%) skaters skaters (Table 1). The mean age of the study group was 17 years (range, 6 to 46). An upper extremity was injured in 25 skaters (78%), a lower extremity in 5 (16%), and the head in 2 (6%). The wrist was by far the body part injured most often, accounting for 56% of all injuries. The elbow was the next most frequently injured site—19% of all injuries.

DISCUSSION

In-line skating injuries have become more frequent as the popularity of the sport has continued to increase; however, data about injuries associated with this activity are limited. In a study of 100 consecutive roller-skating injuries, Schwarzman6 found a female-to-male ratio of 1.7:1 and a mean patient age of 28.1 years. He also noted that 57% of the injuries involved an upper extremity and 65% were fractures. In another analysis of roller-skating injuries, Inkelis and associates 7 reported a

CONCLUSION

We believe that the data presented herein are of value to clinicians and patients because of the limited information available on injuries associated with in-line skating. In view of the injuries found in our survey and in other studies, we would recommend the use of protective equipment, including a helmet and wrist, elbow, and knee padding. In addition, training for novices to review braking and protective falling techniques may help reduce injuries. Newer braking systems, not available

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