Inline Skating Injury Prevention

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More than 17 million Americans participate in the sport of inline skating. Whether skating fast or standing still, you can get an injury -- from fractures or dislocations to more serious injuries to the head -- if you do not follow the rules of the sport.

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, more than 61,000 people were treated for inline skating-related injuries in hospital emergency rooms, doctors� offices, clinics and other medical settings in 2007.

The key to remember is that many inline skating injuries are preventable if you follow these safety tips:

• Learn the basic skills of the sport particularly how to stop properly, before venturing into traffic
• Wear a helmet, wrist protectors and knee and elbow pads
• Always put on protective gear before putting on your skates
• Perform warm-up exercises before and after skating
• Obey traffic signals, stay at the right side of the road and don't weave in and out of lanes
• Avoid skating in crowded walkways

Skate boots always must fit properly. Here are some tips you can use when purchasing inline skates:

• Don't buy boots that put too much pressure on any area of your foot; the pressure can cause blisters.
• Choose the boot size at the end of the day or after training, when feet will be at their largest.
• When selecting the size of the boot, wear the same type of sock that will be worn when skating.
• Kick both feet into the back of the boots before buckling and skating.
• Be certain the heel doesn't move up and down in the boot during skating.

Source: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=A00138