Kids, Roll with Care When Wearing Roller Shoes!

Heelys and Street Gliders, footwear products that provide an embedded or strap-on wheel at the heel, have become very popular with children since their introduction in 2000. Researchers prospectively analyzed data from 830 children with traumatic fractures who were referred to a large orthopedic center in Ireland during a 10-week period in the summer of 2006.

Sixty-seven patients (age range, 6–15 years; 56 girls) sustained injuries while “heeling” (50) or “street gliding” (17); most injuries occurred outdoors. Nearly all patients sustained an upper extremity fracture or dislocation (primarily distal radius fracture). Also, most patients were new to the activity, having heeled or glided five times or less. None of the injured children were we…