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Play It Safe
Avoiding Recreational Hazards
It's no surprise that anything to do with children on wheels can be potentially dangerous. Children can easily lose their balance or can lose control if they go too fast. Either scenario can lead to a collision or fall and is especially the case when they are rollerblading, skating, skateboarding or riding a scooter.
According to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, accidents from "roller sports" accounted for nearly 300,000 medically treated musculoskeletal injuries among 5- to 14-year-olds in the year 2000.
"Beyond obeying specific rules for any of the roller sports, parents should make sure that their kids learn the basic skills of the sport, particularly how to stop, before venturing outside to practice," says Dr. Bernstein. "Parents should also make sure that their kids are wearing the right size of helmet to protect them from head injuries and to wear wrist guards to protect them from fractures that can occur should they have to catch themselves from a fall. Knee and elbow pads also help to avoid other minor but nevertheless painful injuries."
Although Dr. Bernstein acknowledges that it's not uncommon for kids to aspire to do the tricks and stunts that seem to go along with most roller sports activities, parents should only allow their children to practice these in an environment where they can be closely supervised.
