Wrist Guards Safety Questioned
Despite the general consensus among physicians, epidemiologists, educators, and manufacturers that specific protective equipment could reduce the incidence and severity of injuries to in-line skaters, there is some evidence that wrist guards, as currently designed, may transfer the location of the injuries instead of preventing them. Scalone31 reported that if wrist guards are to fulfill their function of causing the skater to skid, rather than fall on the wrist, the impact will be transferred to the torso, thereby necessitating the use of a helmet to protect the head. Broida4 stated that although wrist guards prevented abrasions and contusions, they did not necessarily prevent fractures. Cheng et al.8 reported the occurrence of fractures to the forearm adjacent to the proximal border of the wrist guards, suggesting that the wrist guard may have transferred the impact to the proximal border of the splint. Thus, the design of some protective equipment may be associated with its own specific injury pattern.
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