How dangerous is skateboarding? This question pops up in the mind of many people when they watch performances from world-renowned skaters. There’s a reason why this sport still enjoys its popularity and attracts more players.
Still, it’s also easy to see how exclusion has impacted us over time with everything we’ve lost out on because no one cared enough about what could happen next or if someone would be ok after getting hurt.
Is Skateboarding Dangerous?
When you skid your board on concrete, it’s a beautiful experience that feels empowering. But what happens if there isn’t enough traction? You’re more likely to sustain an injury and end up in the hospital. between April 2017-April 2018 alone, 100 thousand people under 25 had severe injuries from skateboarding which is why we need safer alternatives like cycling or mountain biking
The National Safety Council found out about these accidents when collecting data over ten years plus incident reports where participants self-reported.
The considerable risk of causing severe skateboard injuries and landing riders in emergency rooms comes from the extreme nature of longboarding. Especially when they decide to ride on open roads, unlike dedicated sporting areas like parks where light posts or vehicles are obstacles to other riders.
Who may have some awareness for what’s going on around them, riding outside can introduce you not only to your unfamiliarity but also unpredictable situations that require quick reactions if you won’t get through safely without hurting someone else too.
Skaters who enjoy skateboarding will often put themselves at risk by not wearing safety equipment or doing tricks beyond their abilities. They want to show off and beat other people in dangerous situations where there’s no chance for them if something goes wrong.
Some teens are explicitly attracted due to the element of risking life without any protection. However, even when this activity isn’t against park rules, it still occurs often enough among younger crowds that have been influenced by social media platforms such as Instagram, where videos showing extreme wipeouts can appear in just minutes.
Usual Skateboarding Injuries
If something goes wrong with your ride, every part of your body is vulnerable to injury, but some injuries occur more frequently than others.
Head Injuries
Head injuries are not common, but they can happen to anyone. A fall from a skateboard could be hard enough to damage your head or even make you lose consciousness.
The risk of sustaining an injury increases if face protection is lacking – skulls get fractures too, and blunt trauma happens all too often in this type of situation, so proper safety equipment should always come first.
Ankle Injuries
Skateboarding is a fun and exciting sport, but it can also be physically demanding. Ankles are among the most vulnerable areas to injury in skateboarding because they’re not protected like other parts of your body, such as your knees and elbows.
Skaters who perform complicated tricks often experience slippage when their feet slip off or fall through onto hard surfaces, which causes an awkward landing that could cause sprains/broken ankles.
Elevated surfaces provide excellent opportunities for flips at high speeds, while stairs make gates easier with less height gain required; this makes them popular spots among experienced jumpers looking for advanced movements involving speed changes. It is a spectacle to watch, but it isn’t pleasant on the riders’ ankles, who may suffer fractures or sprains.
Hand, Wrist, or Shoulder Injuries
This is why it’s so important to learn how balance works and get some practice in before you start riding around town. A beginner might think they’ll be able to do no wrong.
Still, inevitably there will always come the point where something goes improperly, or an unexpected event occurs that causes them to fall over – which means now not only does their wrist hurt from landing hard on the pavement after slipping off the edge of the board.
When you are the unfortunate recipient of a bad fall and your wrist is turned backward, not only will it be painful but also very difficult to move.
Ligaments connecting bones in this area may stretch or tear. which could result in sprains along with more severe injuries like pulled muscles/tendons (ligament injury), fractures from the excessive force on immobilized joints broke outright across multiple points – think “break my hand please.”
Gold Standard Trauma offers these most important tips:
1) keep moving-do what you can so long as it is safe.
2) Avoid strengthening exercises where possible because they’ll worsen if done too soon following trauma.
Additional
Skaters are often tempted to try and stamp down on their board when they jump, but this can cause them injury. The most common culprits of facial fractures are from hard surfaces like pavement or ledges; however, your skateboard could betray you by flying up toward the face if jumped onto while uphill–especially at high speeds where a landing might be less cushioned than usual.
Riding around town is fun enough without worrying about getting clocked in one side of the head by another car door swinging open next.
Skateboarding Safety Tips
Use Protective Equipment
The best way to stay safe while skateboarding is by wearing a helmet that meets the safety standards set for this sport. Make sure it’s snug and comfortable, then give yourself time getting used to how well-fitted your new lid feels before heading out into traffic.
You can also reduce the risk of injury by wearing wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow braces. Wristguards will brace you if a fall happens while standing or walking; they may prevent severe wounds on other parts such as knees which are vulnerable when bend over to pick something up from floor level.
Knee protectors offer similar protection for the outermost part we call “knees.” Elbow nylon provides adequate coverage against impacts that could cause broken bones in this area – especially since most people don’t wear proper attire like sports clothes with reinforced Capcoms.
Learn To Stop and Fall
Braking with your feet is essential for many risky situations while skateboarding, like stopping quickly without applying pressure on the tailor to catch an edge.
To brake slowly, apply enough force so that you can feel it against the ground but not too hard as this may cause a skid and make matters worse. Make sure no part of both legs comes forward because they could hit something else in front, such as rails, if going directionally.
The best way to avoid a fall is by preparing for it. The first sign that you’re about to lose control over the board could be when your feet leave the ground.
Make contact with nothing but air, or just before this happens because of how fast things happen in skateboarding which makes being cautious all too important. So if anything seems like an inevitable crash coming up ahead, don’t hesitate.
You can react differently depending on where exactly falls occur. Some people land successfully without taking any significant damage at all. In contrast, others end up needing medical attention after slamming onto hard surfaces from heights several feet higher than what their bodies were conditioned for (and not getting hurt).
The Right Skateboard
Skateboarding is possibly one of the most popular hobbies in America and worldwide, with an ever-growing community. Over time, there’s been a wide variety of boards available over time that can be purchased from individual companies or online retailers.
However, you must make sure to check your skateboard before using it again because common issues include sharp edges, which may cause injury and cracks due to poor construction quality control, among other things.
Have any repairs been done when possible unless it’s something minor, such as fixing quickly by yourself without needing much expertise/tools at all?
Final Verdict
Skaters put their entire bodies behind every trick they perform, which makes them so agile. But it also means that you’re putting your complete trust in the board — and if something goes wrong (as inevitably will), there are no brakes.
Be careful when skateboarding; don’t take unnecessary risks or try to do tricks outside of your ability level because these accidents can happen at any time without warning. It is difficult to know How dangerous is skateboarding.
Two simple ways to make safer: second-mile rule after doing a leisurely roll around town grab back onto the rail with left hand then right before landing on feet and always wear protective gear.