‘Extreme’ skateboard tricks put youth at risk for injury

New York – In connection with the 17th Annual X Games taking place in Los Angeles July 28-31, the Hospital for Special Surgery is offering 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.