Falling for In-line Skating
Sooner or later every in-line skater takes a dive. But with a little preparation, that tumble need not cause an injury.
On his drive home from work, Richard Uhl, M.D., often sees in-line skaters whisking through the paved streets around his Albany, N.Y. home.
"A couple of times I've thought, 'Maybe I'll try it,' and then I say, 'Wait a second, what are you thinking about?'"
For a surgeon, a broken wrist can mean a sudden, unwanted career change. And Dr. Uhl has seen enough in-line skaters come through the emergency room of Albany Medical Center Hospital with wrist fractures to know it's not for him.
"For me it would be devastating," he says. "But it does look like fun."
An estimated 31 million Americans have come to the same conclusion and strapped on a pair of the fast, futuristic-looking skates, making in-line skating one of the fastest-growing sports in the country.
Frank Fedel, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist in Detroit and an avid in-line skater since 1988, compares its appeal to riding a motorcycle.
Both provide an intense feeling of freedom, he says.
But that feeling can come at a cost. In-line skating injuries treated at hospital emergency rooms have nearly tripled since 1993 to over 100,000 nationally, according to an estimate by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Significantly, the data gathered by the CPSC indicate that as many as two-thirds of those injured were not wearing safety gear.
"Like any sport, whether it's bicycling or in-line skating, you need safety instruction and protective gear," says Marc Cullen, M.D., director of the trauma and burn center of Detroit's Children's Hospital of Michigan.
A snug-fitting helmet and wrist guards are required equipment even for veteran skaters, says Marietta Slemp, R.N. at Atlanta's Scottish Rite Children's Medical Center.
"You're going to fall no matter what, but if you're wearing safety equipment, in most cases it's going to lessen the degree of injury," she says.
Elbow pads, knee pads, gloves and even padded shorts are available. The International In-line Skating Association points out that $100 worth of protective gear can prevent thousands of dollars in medical costs. The average cost of surgery is $12,000.
The most common injuries (40 percent) are wrist and arm fractures caused by trying to break a fall. "Learning to go with a fall is a worthwhile skill," Dr. Uhl says. "If you can, fall and roll with it, coming down on your arm and your side. You may get some pretty good scrapes but no fractures."
One way to avoid those falls is to be aware of where you will be five seconds down the road. "On skates you can't stop fast," says Dr. Fedel. "If you think ahead and plan where you'll be, you'll probably be safe."
Over a third of in-line skaters are under 12 years old. When Dr. Cullen's 12-year-old son got a pair of in-line skates, they went to a school parking lot on a Sunday afternoon for a few hours of practice.
'The same way I taught him to ride a bicycle," Dr. Cullen says.
Ms. Slemp's niece and nephew received in-line skates for Christmas two years ago along with a condition. "Either you put on the helmets or you don't put on the skates," she told them.
And if parents skate they must wear the protective gear, too. "You have to practice what you preach. You can't ask them to wear helmets when you don't," Dr. Cullen says. Other ways to reduce risks:
- Skate on smooth, paved surfaces. Avoid uneven or broken pavement, water, oil, sand, gravel and dirt.
- Don't skate at night.
- Don't skate while walking your dog. Its sudden movements can throw you off balance.
- Check and maintain your equipment regularly.
- Do not wear a Walkman or anything else that may interfere with your hearing or vision.
- Avoid hills until you are ready.
- As with all exercise, warm up before you skate.
- When skating in the street, follow the same rules as bicyclists.
- Obey traffic regulations and yield to pedestrians.
Dr. Fedel acknowledges that wearing safety equipment might seem restrictive. But the one time he went biking without a helmet changed his attitude forever. A distracting car sent him tumbling to the pavement and left him unable to move for several seconds.
Now, he never skates without a helmet and wrist guards.
"I guess it comes down to a balancing equation: Do you want to look good or do you want to be safe?" he says. "I just don't want to get injured. I don't like getting hurt. I want to have fun."
