Skimboard injuries

Abstract

Background: Skimboarding is a recreational activity performed in shallow water in a beach setting.

Methods: We reviewed patient records from our emergency department for a 52-month period and identified 79 patients with skimboard-related injuries.

Results: Mean age of patients was 15.2 years; 73.4% presented with a fracture. Lower-extremity fractures were found 63.8% of the time, and upper extremity were found 36.2%. Distal radius fractures were the most common (61.9%) upper-extremity fracture, and ankle fractures were the most common (83.8%) lower-extremity fracture. The prevalence of fractures sustained while skimboarding was compared with that of other published series of recreational activities, including trampoline injuries, and was found to be higher.

Conclusions: Skimboarding is a sport in which injuries occur by the sudden deceleration of the board as it transitions from water to land or from falls into shallow water. The lower-extremity fracture prevalence is much higher than in similar sports such as skateboarding and surfing. The prevalence of fracture is also higher than that found in trampoline-related injury reports.