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