Young Skateboarders at Risk for Concussions and Fractures: Safety tips from the Hospital for Special Surgery

In connection with the 17th Annual X Games conducted in Los Angeles on July 28-31, 2011, doctors offered safe skateboarding tips for children and teens.

Nearly 75,000 skateboarding injuries were recorded in 2009, approximately one-third of which occurred among beginners, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Experts at the Hospital for Special Surgery believe that increasingly extreme stunts, coupled with a lack of adequate personal protective equipment, are causing a rise in such injuries.

Hospital experts caution children not to attempt to replicate stunts performed by professionals at the X Games and offer the following tips for safe skateboarding:

Children younger than 5 should never ride on a skateboard.

Tricks should be performed in a designated skate park.

Ride with wrist and chin guards, as well as a special helmet that covers the back of the head.

Dismount and carry the skateboard through areas with potholes, excessive gravel, or crowds of people.

Always ride skateboards on the sidewalk, not in the street.

Do not skateboard on rainy days.  

http://www.hss.edu/newsroom_young-skateboarders-concussion-fracture-risk.asp

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