3 Common Rollerblading Injuries

Outdoor activities have gained traction over the past year as more people have picked up new outdoor activities due to Covid19. One activity that has really gained traction was inline skating – more commonly known as rollerblading. In Singapore where there are abundant park connectors and smooth, flat terrain, you can hardly find a scene where you won’t find a rollerblading enthusiast. However, with any sport, there is also a chance of sustaining rollerblading injuries.

People love this sport for its many purported health benefits, cool variations like classic slalom, speed slalom, and speed skating, as well as the fact that it’s good fun both solo and with family and friends. Although very popular, especially with younger children and adults, rollerblading does come with its own risk. Like any sport, it requires practice and training to master. In this article, we will explore the health benefits of rollerblading as well as the 3 most common rollerblading injuries.

Types of Muscle groups worked in Rollerblading

Rollerblading is a superb lower body workout. In order to propel the body, the legs are required to push and brake oneself as well as change directions. The glutes, quadriceps, adductors, hamstrings and the core, work hard to glide and push motions required.

​​Glute muscles (maximus, medius and minimus)

More commonly known as the butt muscles, this highly important muscle helps to stabilize the hips, push your thighs backwards and outwards. Especially important when propelling yourself forwards while rollerblading.

Quadricep muscles

These muscles are found at the front of the thigh, and consist of the rectus femoris, vastus medialis, vastus lateralis and vastus intermedius. They act to straighten the knee and bend the hip, together with the glutes to propel your body forwards.

Hamstrings

Found at the back of the thigh, they do the opposite action of the quadriceps. They bend the knee and straighten the hip – much needed to lift your foot off the ground and kick your heel towards your butt as you push off.

Adductors

These inner thigh muscles enable us to move our thighs inwards, as well as control their movement outwards. This muscle is constantly working as we push off and glide.

Core

Rollerblading happens to be a great core exercise as well. That’s because your abs and back must be constantly activated in order to maintain balance. When you Rollerblade, you work these muscles to produce force, balance your body and stabilize your spine. Practising this sport regularly can improve coordination and posture, stabilize joints, and help you become more aware of your body in general.

3 Common Rollerblading Injuries

According to sports medicine Australia, falls are the major cause of rollerblading injuries (80-90%). Most common injuries occur in the upper body – 70%, and 30% in the knee and lower limbs. Here are the 3 common types of rollerblading injuries that might occur during a fall.

Wrist sprains

Wrist sprains are the most common injury occurs as people fall on an outstretched hand in an attempt to break fall. This can lead to fractures, or strained ligaments of the wrist as well as forearm and fingers

Shoulder injuries

Shoulder injuries such as rotator cuff tears are common among rollerbladers. This is usually caused by breaking falls. The rotator cuff muscles in the shoulder help to stabilize and control movement. When we try to break falls, they can often be strained.

Knee pain

Apart from rollerblading injuries being caused by falls, silent culprits such as overuse and poor knee position can also cause knee pain. Overuse injuries can occur when someone increases activity too much too fast and the knees are not able to cope. The inward knees – or known as valgus knees – commonly occur as well and put increased stress on certain areas of the knee and cause discomfort. Some common causes of knee pain include – strains of the ligaments, overuse of cartilage and meniscus.

Seek Physiotherapy treatment for Rollerblading Injuries

If you are experiencing any of these rollerblading injuries, here are some tips recommended by a physiotherapist that you can try:

• Rest! Active rest, do other activities that don’t aggravate the pain. You can try swimming or taking a slow walk instead
• For swelling, try icing the area for 10-15 minutes as well as elevating it at night
• Gentle movements and stretches as tolerated, ideally pain-free.

If the pain does not go away after a week or so, book an appointment with our team of physiotherapists who are able to help assess your condition and find the best treatment for you and your injury. Seeking treatment early can prevent the injury from worsening over time.