Stay safe during skateboarding season
The office was closed for lunch and I was catching up on mail when I came across a letter from an orthopedic specialist. One line caught my eye. The surgeon had described the 9-year-old's skateboarding accident and resulting arm fracture and followed with the simple statement, "He was not wearing wrist guards."
While my own kids like to tell me that many of my columns are just thinly veiled attempts at taking all the joy out of childhood, this time I can pin the rap on my orthopedic colleagues. They are, after all, the most likely to be found fixing any damage done when kids don't use their skateboarding common sense.
Skateboarding injuries fill up emergency department waiting rooms, especially during these warm summer months. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) estimates that skateboarding injuries among children and adolescents generate 50,000 emergency department visits and 1,500 hospital stays annually.
Fractures and sprains of the wrist are the most common skateboarding injuries. Abrasions, sprains and fractures of the face, ankles and other long bones also require emergency orthopedic care. The majority of skateboarding-related hospitalizations are the result of head trauma. Fatal injuries do occur in the sport, but thankfully are rare.
Experts note that 90 percent of skateboarding injuries occur in boys, but to be fair to the guys, males do make up approximately 90 percent of American skateboarders.
Young children are more prone to skateboarding injury due to their higher centers of gravity and immature neuromuscular development, as well as their poor judgment when evaluating traffic safety and their own physical abilities. For these reasons, the AAP recommends that children under 5 not be allowed on skateboards, and that 6- to 10-year-olds use the boards only with close supervision.
The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons seconds the pediatric policy statement, agreeing that skateboarders need to wear protective gear. Equipment should include a properly fitting, safety-approved bike or multi-sport helmet, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads, and skateboard-compatible shoes - shoes that are closed and slip-resistant.
Young athletes new to the sport need to learn basic skateboarding techniques, including how to stop and how to fall in order to avoid or minimize bodily injury. Skateboarders are also encouraged to purchase quality skateboards and keep their boards in good working condition.
Orthopedic experts advise kids to take advantage of supervised skate parks that will keep them out of traffic (collisions with motor vehicles are a common cause of skateboarding head injuries) and allow them to skate on smooth surfaces (rough, uneven surfaces increase the risk of skateboarding falls).
Other skateboarding safety tips include: no skitching (riding while holding on to the rear bumper of a moving vehicle), restricting use of skateboards to one person per board (no passengers!), and avoiding headphones so the skateboarder remains aware of nearby pedestrians, fellow riders and traffic.
Dr. Helen Minciotti is a mother of five and a pediatrician with a practice in Schaumburg. She formerly chaired the Department of Pediatrics at Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights.