In-Line Skating’s Hot--but Is It Safe? : Recreation: Thousands have been injured. But do the numbers alone mean the sport is dangerous? The verdict isn’t in yet.

In-line skating may reach its zenith this summer, according to sporting goods manufacturers, who predict sales of skates will surpass last year’s record of $243 million.

But will this also be the summer in which skaters are lined up in hospital emergency rooms?

The national Consumer Products Safety Commission says yes. Proponents and others say no.

In a report released June 9, the government organization reported that injuries from in-line skating had doubled in the first five months of ’94 compared to the same period last year. With long, sunny days ahead, the commission warned, the rate of injuries is expected to soar.

“This sport is dangerous, and the injuries are serious,” said Ann Brown, commission chairwoman. “The CPSC wants your summer Rollerblading fun to be outdoors and in the sun, not indoors and in the hospital.”

The report predicted that potentially devastating head injuries will increase from 2,000 last year to 7,000 this year.

But while Brown called the sport “intrinsically dangerous,” others strongly reject the idea that in-line skating is any more dangerous than other recreational sports.

In a different government study also released this month, roller-skating injuries that required emergency room treatment were found to be triple that of in-line skating injuries. Skateboarding injuries, too, were slightly more common than in-line skating injuries.

From July 1, 1992, to June 30, 1993, injuries among roller skaters numbered 92,963, compared to 34,938 for skateboarders and 30,863 among in-line skaters, reported Dr. Richard A. Schieber of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. The study was published in the Journal of the American Medical Assn.

So, are you risking bodily harm if you take up in-line skating?

The answer is not nearly as clear-cut as either recent report might imply, say most experts familiar with the statistics.

In-line skates feature a single row of wheels that, like ice skates, require some balance and ankle strength but give the skater greater maneuverability than roller skates. The sport is also unique for the speeds that can be generated; the typical cruise speed is 10 to 17 m.p.h., Schieber said. Moreover, the skater must learn to use a heel brake, as opposed to a toe brake on roller skates.

Because of these characteristics, some people worry that in-line skaters will be more likely to fall or collide with other moving objects, leading to serious injuries, particularly to the head and wrist.

According to some experts, in-line skating may not be intrinsically dangerous, as the Consumer Products report stated, if the skater is well-trained and equipped with protective gear.

On the other hand, merely producing fewer injuries doesn’t make in-line skating any safer than roller skating, Schieber said.

The CDC study, he pointed out, does not give the rate of injury--that is, what percentage of skaters in each of the three roller sports are injured per outing.

“We don’t know how many participants there are for each sport and how many times a week or month each person skates. Without knowing the injury rates, we really don’t have a good handle on comparing which of these sports is safer,” said Schieber, a pediatrician and epidemiologist.

Moreover, the risks of in-line skating will not be easy to estimate until several other developments unfold, such as:

* The number of skaters stabilizes with fewer new skaters coming on the scene.

* Manufacturers produce improved safety gear, now under development.

* Studies are completed analyzing how and where injuries occur.

“This sport only started around 1980,” in the United States, Schieber noted. “It has achieved an enormous range of popularity in different age groups in a short amount of time.”

*

To Henry Zuver, the executive director of the International In-Line Skating Assn., the injury numbers are small compared to the number of people skating.

Although there are no formal studies on this--as Schieber pointed out--Zuver estimates that about 12.6 million Americans participated in in-line skating in 1993. That would put the injury rate at a fraction of 1%--even if injuries more than doubled over last year.

“More than 99% are enjoying the activity and skating in a safe manner,” Zuver said.

Zuver and others think injury warnings have been blown out of proportion because of how fast the sport has grown. Based on sales figures, participation is thought to have increased by about 500% since 1989.

The Consumer Products Safety Commission’s report is unnecessarily alarmist, agreed Dr. Gary Brazina, an orthopedic surgeon at Century City Hospital and team physician for the L.A. Blades professional roller hockey team

“You can certainly expect injuries to increase because the popularity of the sport is growing exponentially,” he said.

The number of novice skaters may contribute to a temporarily high injury rate this year, he added.

“More and more people are doing it as first-timers. There are a lot of beginners out there who don’t know how to go over a rough surface or who don’t take a safety lesson or who don’t wear protective gear,” he said.

If consumers followed the IISA recommendations for safe skating, the injury rate would decrease, Zuver said. The organization recommends that skaters wear protective gear that includes a helmet, wrist guards, and elbow and knee pads.

Schieber’s study showed that wrist injuries are the most common among in-line skaters, accounting for 38% of all injuries. Several types of wrist guards are available, but it’s not known how many skaters wear them or how useful they are in preventing bone fractures.

*

In addition to protective gear, first-time skaters should take a lesson before zooming off on their own, experts say.

“The skates aren’t dangerous; the lack of knowledge of the people putting them on is dangerous,” Zuver said.

Classes and workshops are becoming more common as the IISA trains more instructors, he said. The association has accredited about 50 new instructors in Southern California this year.

“Both (government) reports emphasize that taking a class is the right thing to do,” Zuver said. “It’s not unlike skiing. If people go to a ski slope for the first time, most will take a lesson and learn the proper methods to ski prior to even going on a bunny hill.”

Veteran skaters make the sport look easier than it is, Brazina said.

“It’s somewhat more difficult than regular roller skating because of the way you stop,” he said, noting that in-line skaters use a heel brake instead of a toe brake. “Once you master that technique, it’s pretty straightforward.”

Another hotly debated subject concerning safety is where in-line skaters should skate.

Classes for in-line skaters should include basics on courtesy and protocol on sidewalks and bike paths, Brazina said.

“I think there should be some consideration for where you Rollerblade. There is always a conflict between cyclists and Rollerbladers,” he said.

Repeated calls to ban in-line skating on public property and limit it to special fields or rinks have been raised locally since 1991, when a 13-year-old Hermosa Beach boy died when he skated down a steep street and collided with a bus.

“I think confining it to a certain place is over-administrating it,” Brazina said. “But, as a new sport, people have to be made aware of the rules of the road: where to skate and how to skate in traffic.”

In-line skating is a good aerobic exercise, is easy on the joints and helps tone the major muscles of the lower body. But the next generation of research should help determine just how safe it is, Schieber said.

Zuver is confident that in-line skating will prove to be no more risky than any activity in which man straps on wheels.

“Done in the proper manner, this is a good activity. I think future studies will bear that out.”

Tips for Safe In-Line Skating

* Always wear protective equipment: helmet, elbow and knee pads, and wrist guards. (The protective gear can cost $50 or more).

* Learn how to use the skates through lessons or classes. Instructions should include how to stop, turn and control speed.

* Do not skate at night.

* Do not skate in traffic.

* Skate on smooth surfaces. Avoid slick or dirty areas, such as sandy or oily spots.

* Don’t wear headphones or anything that obstructs hearing or vision.

Source: Consumer Products Safety Commission