Children on Wheeled Shoes May Be Susceptible to Injuries
Have you ever almost been run over by a child rolling along seemingly out ofcontrol on shoes with wheels?
The popularity of these shoes and the safety hazards they have been known tocause has lead some shopping mall proprietors to outlaw them in their stores. Some 4million pairs of these “wheeled shoes” have been sold, so that puts a lot of kids outthere who could either injure themselves or others.
Recently, the American Chiropractic Association took a look at these shoes interms of how they can actually cause problems for children. The most obvious causeof injury would be falls suffered while on the skating shoes. Injuries to the head,wrist, elbow and ankle are the most common. With the wheels in the back of theshoes, skaters are forced to lean back to make them perform properly and can easilylose their balance.
Problems can also occur for children in a less obvious manner, and this has to dowith the way they are forced to walk on the “shoes with wheels” when they are notrolling along. According to Dr. Steven Conway, a member of the American Chiropractic Association, “When wearing the shoes on a surface that isn’t skatable,children must walk on their toes. This altered gait forces their posture into unnaturalpositions, and if worn regularly for walking, this could potentially cause strain ongrowing bodies, especially in the foot, ankle and lower back.”
Some tips for safe use of the “wheeled shoes” would include: wearing safetyequipment like helmets, wrist guards, elbow and knee pads. Shoes should be wornfor recreation only with wheels removed when using them as sneakers. Of course,children should be aware of their surroundings and pedestrians when skating.
Should an injury occur or painful situations develop from skating, parents wouldbe wise to take their child to a chiropractor for an evaluation of their neuromuscularskeletal system. Children may actually suffer some of the pains experienced by high-er level athletes when they skate. Avisit to a chiropractor may go a long way to helptheir young bodies develop properly.