Wearing proper gear is essential for safe skating . This includes a helmet, wrist guards, knee pads, and elbow pads. Wrist guards are designed to prevent wrist injuries by preventing sudden extreme hyperextensi on , absorbing some shock of impact, dissipating kinetic forces by forward sliding on their hard volar plates, and preventing local gravel burns.
A helmet, elbow pads, and knee pads are recommended for shock absorpti on . Recent research has evaluated the effectiveness of such gear and indicates that wearing wrist guards could reduce the number of wrist injuries by 87%, wearing elbow pads could reduce the number of elbow injuries by 82%, and wearing knee pads could reduce the number of knee injuries by 32%.
Although in this study the number of in-line skaters who sustained a head injury was not sufficient to determine the degree of protecti on afforded by helmets, others have reported that a bicycle helmet or similar approved sports helmet is str on gly protective against the occurrence of a head injury to bicyclists in the same physical envir on ment to which a skater is exposed. Helmet use by child and adolescent skaters is required by law in New York and Oreg on .
Skaters who participate in roller hockey or perform tricks should wear heavy-duty protective gear , including well-c on structed wrist guards, knee pads, elbow pads, and a full-head helmet that covers the ears.
