Ice-skaters at risk of head injuries

NEW YORK (Reuters) - More children get hurt in-line skating than ice-skating, but ice skaters suffer more head and face injuries, according to a U.S. study.

Research by the Center for Injury Research and Policy (CIRP) at Columbus Children's Hospital found about half of the skating injuries among children age 18 or younger over a 10-year period involved in-line skating, while 35 percent were from roller-skating and 15 percent from ice skating.

The study, published in the August issue of medical journal Pediatrics, was based on an analysis of 1.2 million pediatric skating injuries recorded from 1993 to 2003 by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

While the majority of wheel-skating injuries were broken arms and wrists, 13 percent of ice-skaters experienced head injuries compared with 4 percent among roller skaters and 5 percent for in-line skaters.

Ice-skaters also had a greater proportion of concussions -- 4 percent -- compared with 0.6 percent of roller-skaters and 0.8 percent of in-line skaters.

Christy Knox, CIRP research associate and one of the study's authors, said all skaters tend to fall forward and attempt to break their falls with their arms or hands.

But because ice-skating occurs on a slippery surface and attempts to break falls with the arms and hands are often unsuccessful, resulting in the head hitting the ice.

Knox said standard helmets may not adequately protect the ice skater's face and front of the head from hitting the ice and many children are unlikely to wear the most effective protection -- a hockey-style helmet with a facemask.

The researchers who conducted the study are designing a wristguard with a non-slip palm to prevent outstretched hands from slipping on the ice, she said.