Skateboarding is a popular pastime, especially among kids. It is also a sport that encourages stunts and fast movement on hard pavement, presenting opportunities for injuries and, of course, scars. There are many ways to prevent and minimize injuries and scars resulting from skateboarding accidents.
Types of Injuries and Scars
Road rash is a common skateboarding injury, and one that isn’t often reported. Abrasions from sliding across a paved surface can result in bleeding, but doesn’t always produce scars. Other skateboarding injuries can result in cuts to the elbows, forearms, chin, shins, elbows, hands, knuckles and other body parts. Broken bones are another possibility. Compound fractures, which occur when the broken bone pierces through the skin, usually result in scars. While more serious injuries may occur, they don’t typically result in scars of the skin unless invasive surgery is involved.
Prevention
There are several ways to prevent skateboarding injuries that can result in scars. Most important is to cover the body with clothing and protective padding. This prevents injuries in the first place. Special protection includes helmets and gloves, as well as wrist, elbow and knee pads. Riders who try to avoid skateboarding on uneven surfaces that can launch a rider from their board are also less likely to sustain injuries. The use of skate parks is safer than paved roadways, parking lots and sidewalks because the surface is typically smoother and more predictable. It’s a good idea to walk through a new route and to check out the surface of an unfamiliar ramp on foot when possible. Checking the skateboard for cracks and loose parts before a ride can also help to prevent accidents and injuries.
Scar Treatment
Using silicone-based scar gel on the wound can reduce redness, thickness and prominence of skateboarding scars. It is important that road rash wounds are carefully cleaned before they begin to heal. Dirt, pebbles and asphalt debris trapped in a wound can cause infections and irregular surface healing.
Skateboarding Injury Statistics
According to statistics from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, skateboarders with less than a week’s worth of experience have the highest incidence of sustaining reported injuries, which is about 30 percent. Those who have been skateboarding for 12 months or more are the next most likely to suffer skateboarding injuries.