Heelys Fad Lands Children in Hospitals

Wheeled shoes have been a fad ever since they were introduced. These trendy shoes not only take children to places of interest, but also to places where they hate to go- emergency rooms of hospitals. Researchers have attached a heavy price tag with these shoes- Injuries.

Also known as ‘heeling’, after Heelys, the most popular brand, roller shoes are sold in 70 countries and they recently landed the Texas branch of Heelys on the acme of the ‘BusinessWeek's’ annual list of fastest budding companies.

While the manufacturers are hawking on huge profits, doctors from across the globe are complaining of various injuries- broken wrists, arms and ankles; dislocated elbows and even cracked skulls.

According to a report in the June edition of Pediatrics, about 67 children were treated for various injuries last summer in the Temple Street Children's University Hospital in Dublin, Ireland.

“From September 2005 through December 2006, one death and at least 64 roller-shoe injuries were reported to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission”, a spokesman said last week.

Doctors in Singapore too reported of 37 cases during a 7 month period in 2004.

It has been reported that all the children admitted to the hospitals were not wearing protective gear. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, based in Rosemont, Ill., will be issuing new safety advice this week, which will urge children to wear helmets, wrist protectors and knee and elbow pads while riding roller shoes.

"As these shoes are sold in department stores, parents buying them may develop a false sense of security -- that they are like any other shoe," said Dr. James Beaty, academy president and a pediatric orthopedic surgeon in Memphis.

Not only this, children who indulge in performing feats like pop wheelies and spins also land themselves in soup.

Roller shoes have the wheels only faintly bulging from the surface of the shoe and the wearer can swap between walking and rolling practically with no trouble. The shoes are by and large available in the children's shoe section of department stores or online from sporting goods websites.

Not only doctors, but even shopping malls, schools and other institutions have banned the use of roller shoes, citing health and safety concerns. The shoes have become a nonsense for the people around as they have been hit by children going too fast on them.

But despite of so much criticism, roller skates and other urban transport facilitators (UTF’s) like snap-on skates, segways and collapsible bikes are being preferred to walking. The manufacturers of Heelys and other UTF’s hold that the use of such equipment reduce stress, and as they are compact enough, they make little or no effect on human traffic flow. In fact, if the majority of pedestrians used UTFs, human traffic flow, as well as vehicle traffic flow, would be augmented. Crowds could spread out more swiftly, and streets could be crossed quicker as well, restricting vehicle jamming.

In April, Healy’s said that they commissioned a study, which found out that roller shoes are safer than skateboarding, inline skating and even swimming, which have harsher injuries attached with them. To defend themselves, they also added that the shoes come with safety information and a recommendation to wear safety gear.

First introduced in 2000, the shoes have been driving home huge profits for the company. Ever since their introduction, more than 10 million pairs have been shipped and Heelys reported first-quarter income of $8.5 million, five times higher than last year.