Kick up your wheels
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By Brad Gillman
Standard-Examiner staff
Roller shoes all the rage with kids, but some question their safety
You've probably seen them -- children gliding around on sneakers. Perhaps you've even had to dodge one or two.
They're on roller shoes -- a wheel pops out of the heel to allow wearers to combine some skating with their walking.
Heelys was the first company to produce the shoes, but now there are numerous knock-offs. Millions of dollars have been poured into Heelys the last few years. The cost of a pair typically runs from $54.99 to $99.99.
But this fad has not been without its share of controversy. The industry has been on the defensive from parental groups and safety advocates.
The main issue is whether the shoes are safe for kids. The World Against Toys Causing Harm organization named it one of the top 10 worst toys in 2006.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission released a report in May that listed 1,600 hospital trauma cases in 2006.
Pediatrics Journal stated that a hospital in Dublin, Ireland, saw 67 children get treatment from injuries on "roller shoes or strap-on wheel skates" over a 10-week span.
Heelys, Inc., has since countered with its own study. The report, produced by Heiden Associates, claimed that roller shoes are safer than the majority of other sports. The only sports that scored safer ratings were table tennis, billiards and bowling.
The Heiden study also reported that the shoes are beneficial in preventing ankle problems like Sever's disease, which involves pain that starts in the growth plate of the heel, where the Achilles tendon attaches, and occurs mainly in active children.
The shoe company believes that the bend in the ankle with the use of the shoes will take the pressure off that portion of the heel.
An Associated Press story contradicted that by quoting a foot specialist saying that kids using roller shoes are prone to Achilles tendon problems.
So, who are you supposed to believe?
Jeffrey Rocco, foot and ankle specialist for Ogden Orthopedic Specialists, said the shoes could possibly cause Achilles tendon injuries. But he said, "Achilles injuries in that population are rare."
Sever's disease is more commonly found in kids participating in sports -- it's caused when the tendon that attaches to the heel bone becomes inflamed.
Rocco said that, while skating, the feet are in a toe-up position, which can stretch out the calf muscles and relieve pressure on the tendons in the heel. Therefore, the shoes might actually help.
But even if there is some truth into both arguments, Rocco declined to proclaim roller shoes safe.
"There has never been a long-term scientific study done. So it's hard to say conclusively," Rocco said.
With more than 1,600 trauma cases reported, one would think that the ER must be full of injured kids.
Officials at Davis Hospital said they could not recall any incidents of "Heely" kids showing up in the emergency room. Ogden Regional Medical Center spokesman Craig Bielik said the trauma center has not admitted any patients due to roller-shoe accidents. Rocco has seen a couple of kids with fractured wrists from falls.
Add Howard Richter, director of orthopedics at McKay-Dee Hospital, to the list of doctors who has not seen these injuries.
"I see a whole lot more injuries from trampolines," Richter said.
The only thing the reports seemed to agree on is that users need to take appropriate safety measures.
"When Heelys are used in accordance with safety instructions we provide in our packaging and on our Web site (with proper safety equipment), wheeled sports provide safe opportunities for children to exercise," said Heelys CEO Mike Staffaroni in an April press release.
But when was the last time you saw kids wearing a helmet and arm pads as they rolled through Wal-Mart?
On the playground
There is one place that you will likely see an absence of roller shoes -- at school. Since 2005, more and more institutions have added roller shoes to their banned lists, joining the likes of skateboards and inline skates as forbidden items.
"First and foremost, it is about safety," explained Nate Taggart, Weber School District spokesperson.
"Whenever you have crowded halls and crowded playgrounds, and have kids weaving through them (on roller shoes), then you have to be concerned," Taggart said.
He has not heard of any major incidents involving the shoes, and the district has not adopted a ban. But some individual schools, like Green Acres Elementary and Roosevelt Elementary, have adjusted their policies.
Numerous Davis County schools, such as West Point Junior High and North Layton Junior High, also have bans. Once again, safety is cited as the primary factor.
"Mostly, it was the danger for the kids in the hallways. We don't even let them run down the hallway," said Daren Allred, principal at South Clearfield Elementary, which banned the shoes during the 2005-06 school year.
The school has not had any injuries to date that involved a hospital visit, but there were incidents of kids running into each other. Allred considers the change a "preventative policy."
The ban encompasses the entire school property -- sidewalks, playgrounds and inside the school itself.
"If they can use them on the playground, then it is kind of hard to stop them from using them in the school," Allred said.
Davis School District has had one confirmed injury that needed medical attention, according to Chris Williams, community relations director for the district. The injury took place on a playground.
"Probably the biggest problem is the speed at which some of those kids can go," Williams said. "The rule is, the greater the speed, then the greater the impact -- whether it is in a car or on those shoes."
Jordan Wilde, 15, from Morgan, has a different opinion. While taking a breather from skateboarding at the Clearfield Skate Park, he summed up the bans: "stupid."
He has a pair of Heelys and is also an avid skateboarder. He has never fallen in his roller shoes, but he has taken a few bumps and bruises while riding his skateboard.
A glance at the Heelys Web site, www.heelys.com, makes it look like the shoes can do almost any trick that a skateboard can do. But Wilde disagreed with that assessment as well.
"No, not even close," Wilde said. "They are just for bumming around."
Buggin' around
Besides the potential for injuries, there is also a concern that roller shoes can cause disruptions in schools or in stores.
"There is also the annoyance part," Taggart said. "Plus, it scratches up the hallway floors."
Rocco wondered if the "safety" concerns were not just a ploy to get kids out of the shoes.
"Parents would probably like to be able to tell their kids that it's bad for you ... but mostly it's because it is annoying to parents to have their kids rolling around all over the place," Rocco said.
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