An epidemic of roller-blade injuries in children.
Roller blading is a new and increasingly popular leisure activity in many countries. We reviewed 110 consecutive patients with roller-blade injuries between 1 January and 30 June 1996. The patients ranged from 4 to 14 years in age (mean 6.5 years). Eighty-three (75.4%) sustained injuries to the upper limb and 27 (24.5%) injured the lower limb. Fifty-six patients, were girls and 54 were boys. Of the 110 patients, 79 (72.7%) sustained fractures, 28 (25.4%) soft tissue injuries and 3 (2.7%) dislocations. Eighty-three (75.4%) of the patients wore no protective equipment on the limbs. Four months following injury 103 (93.6%) patients were fully recovered. The mean duration of school absence was 3 days. Subsequently 101 children returned to using roller-blades following injury. Seventy-three (66.3%) of these now use protective equipment. We found that injuries were unrelated to age or duration of roller-blading experience or to the brand-name of roller blades used, and that most of our patients wore no protective equipment at the time of injury.
Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Childrens Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
D A
DA
O'Farrell
H M
HM
Ridha
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P
Keenan
F W
FW
McManus
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Stephens
D000293:Adolescent; D001134:Arm Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D007869:Leg Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000534:rehabilitation; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011482:Protective Devices; D012861:Skating / Q000293:injuries* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries