Rollerblading, also called inline skating, in the United States is thought to have originated in the early 1980s from ice skaters wanting to continue similar skating activities on dry land during the summer months. Rollerblading has since become an increasingly popular competitive sport and recreational activity, with a reported 17 million rollerbladers in 2009. It’s particularly popular with adolescent males, but injury statistics have shown that individuals in their 60s have been treated for rollerblading injuries in the U.S. and Australia.
In 1997, an astounding 270,000 rollerblading injuries were reported in the United States alone. Advocacy for rollerbladers to utilize knee pads, wrist guards, helmets, and other safety equipment has greatly reduced the number of rollerblading injuries. However, a report by the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons in 2009 showed that there were still 61,000 people treated for rollerblading-related injuries in 2007.
What Causes Rollerblading Injuries?
Unlike the traditional roller skate, inline skates have two to five wheels arranged in a single line and typically have a brake at the back of skate. This design gives inline skaters more speed and maneuverability, but less stability than roller skaters.
There are several different rollerblading disciplines, such as purely recreational; artistic; speed inline racing, which is much like ice speed skating, but on a racetrack; aggressive, which involves tricks, grinds, slides, airs, and pretty much any other skating maneuver on pretty much any obstacle; freestyle, which can involve jump and/or speed competitions; and powerblading, which involves using skating maneuvers to navigate obstacles and get to a particular destination as quick as possible. While the various rollerblading disciplines may involve either speed, tricks, or some combination of the two, each presents a risk for injuries.
The body of a rollerblader is frequently subject to a great deal of force and pressure, especially with extreme rollerblading maneuvers. When this causes more stress than a particular body part can handle, an overuse injury results. Of course, environmental elements, such as a rail that‘s high above ground level or a crowded skating area, and environmental conditions, such as rainy weather can also contribute to the risk for injury. The rollerblading athlete’s behavior and judgment also plays a role in risk. For example, a rollerblader may attempt an activity that’s beyond their experience or physical capabilities or just opt not to wear the appropriate safety gear.
What Are Some Common Rollerblading Injuries?
Wrist Injuries
Wrist injuries are the most common rollerblading injury. The injury is frequently caused by a rollerblader losing their balance or falling from a height and extending their hand to break their fall. The wrist, being the first area to usually hit the hard ground, absorbs the brunt of the impact. The impact can stretch or tear the ligaments in the wrist, which is called a wrist sprain, or shift bone from its normal continuity, which is called a wrist fracture.
A wrist sprain is graded based on how severely the involved ligament is stretched or torn. A grade one wrist sprain involves abnormal stretching or microscopic tearing of the ligament fibers. This grade usually doesn’t interfere with everyday activities, but the affected wrist may be sore. A grade two wrist sprain involves a moderate amount of tearing to the ligament fibers and may be accompanied by mild to moderate swelling, pain, tenderness, and range of motion limitations. A grade three wrist sprain is the most severe, involving 90% or more of the ligament being torn. This grade may be accompanied by moderate to severe swelling, pain, tenderness, and range of motion limitations.
Grade three wrist sprains may be accompanied by a wrist fracture. However, a wrist fracture doesn’t always involve a wrist sprain.
Eight small bones and the ends of the radius and ulna (forearm bones) make up the wrist. A wrist fracture occurs when one or more of these bones are impacted and lose their normal continuity. Many people are under the false impression that a fracture involves a bone breaking or snapping into two pieces, much like breaking a twig. This isn’t always the case. Fractures can occur along the smooth surface of the bone -or- near the joint. A fracture may involve several large misaligned and unstable pieces -or- relatively stable and well-aligned pieces. A fractured bone can shatter into multiple small pieces. A fracture may be open, in that a piece of the affected bone either protrudes through the skin or is situated directly under an open wound -or- remain under fully intact skin. The above examples are just a few of the many different ways a bone may fracture.
Symptoms of a wrist fracture may include any of the following:
* pain
* tenderness to the touch
* an obvious deformity
* swelling
* limited, painful wrist movement
* bruising
Contusions
A contusion, also called a bruise, is the result of direct force applied to an area of the body. In rollerblading, such a force may be the result of a fall to the ground, striking a rollerblading obstacle, or colliding with pedestrians or other rollerbladers. Most contusions are subcutaneous or muscular, but more substantial blows to the body can bruise bones and even internal organs.
The force of the impact injures blood vessels in the affected area and causes them to leak blood into the surrounding tissues. It’s this leaking and pooling blood that causes the black-and-blue appearance of the skin shortly after the injury occurs. Sensitive nerve endings detect the extra blood and fluids accumulating in the tissues and send pain signals to the brain. The injured area may remain discolored, swollen, painful, tender, and warm for several days.
These are just a few of the many injuries common to rollerblading sports. Other common injuries include: concussions; lacerations and abrasions, especially to the knees, elbows, chest, and face; lower back injuries; dislocations, especially involving the shoulder and fingers; piriformis syndrome; knee and hip bursitis; and so forth.
