An analysis of roller skating injuries

This study retrospectively examines 186 patients treated for roller skating-related injuries.The average patient age was 25.3 years, with males comprising 44% and females 56% of the patients. Of the 202 injuries, there were 130 fractures and 72 soft tissue injuries. The majority of the injuries involved the wrist (47%), while the elbow ranked second (14%) and the ankle third (10%). All fractures of the tibia- fibula and ankle involved a rotational mechanism, with 75% of ankle fractures involving the posterior malleo lus. Ankle fractures accounted for 46% of all surgical cases.Although inexperienced skaters were involved in 77% of all accidents, experienced skaters' injuries required surgery twice as often. Female roller skaters were more frequently injured, but males had three times more operations. Over 90% of the skaters wore no protection. Skaters who seldom participated in other sports had a higher probability of being injured earlier, especially on their first try.This study indicates that roller ska...