title: Skimboard injuries.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Skimboarding is a recreational activity performed in shallow water in a beach setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  We reviewed patient records from our emergency department for a 52-month period and identified 79 patients with skimboard-related injuries.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age of patients was 15.2 years; 73.4% presented with a fracture. Lower-extremity fractures were found 63.8% of the time, and upper extremity were found 36.2%. Distal radius fractures were the most common (61.9%) upper-extremity fracture, and ankle fractures were the most common (83.8%) lower-extremity fracture. The prevalence of fractures sustained while skimboarding was compared with that of other published series of recreational activities, including trampoline injuries, and was found to be higher.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Skimboarding is a sport in which injuries occur by the sudden deceleration of the board as it transitions from water to land or from falls into shallow water. The lower-extremity fracture prevalence is much higher than in similar sports such as skateboarding and surfing. The prevalence of fracture is also higher than that found in trampoline-related injury reports.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery and Rehabilitation, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas 77555-0165, USA.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Merriman
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Carmichael
authors.forename: Soo C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Battle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D016512:Ankle Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D050723:Fractures, Bone / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D022125:Lacerations / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011885:Radius Fractures / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology