Skatepark-related injuries in a southern California skatepark and their associated short-term disability and healthcare utilization.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the types of injuries, the extent of short-term disability, and the degree of healthcare utilization in skatepark-injured patients.


METHODS
The study design was a prospective case series with 1-year follow-up.


METHODS
Level I trauma center and emergency department located in Orange, California.


METHODS
Subjects age 7 years or older who sustained an injury at a local skatepark and were treated in our emergency department were included in the study. Ninety-five subjects were enrolled with a total of 97 injury encounters.


METHODS
Types of injuries, extent of short-term disability, degree of healthcare utilization.


RESULTS
Emergency department diagnoses included 57 fractures, 6 dislocations, 15 strains/sprains/contusions, 7 lacerations, 2 dental fractures, 9 head injuries, and 1 intra-abdominal injury. Nine of the emergency department encounters terminated in admission to the hospital. The peak sum of time lost from school, work, parental time lost from work, and specialist visits were found to occur at 1 month postinjury. Similarly, the number of postinjury follow-up medical visits peaked at the 1-month interval. Subject disability was largely categorized as moderate initially, with a subsequent reduction to no disability by the 9th postinjury month.


CONCLUSIONS
Skatepark-related injuries can yield substantial time lost from school and work, considerable short-term disability, and an increase in healthcare resource utilization.
Vaca
Federico
F
Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California, Irvine, Orange, CA, USA. fevaca@uci.edu
Fox
John Christian
JC
Mai
Danny
D
Anderson
Craig L
CL
Kwon
Kenneth T
KT
Wiechmann
Warren F
WF
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D002140:California / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D006259:Craniocerebral Trauma / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005160:Facility Design and Construction; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D015601:Injury Severity Score; D004204:Joint Dislocations / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D008297:Male; D009104:Multiple Trauma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012861:Skating / Q000293:injuries*; D013997:Time Factors; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*