Have you seen any "hoverboard" injuries yet?

[Angry Birds]

So, a bunch of the kids in the my wife's side of the family got these "hoverboard" things that are all the rage now. Both my wife and I tried it... It's tons of fun, haha, but we both fell on our butts. My wife fell first, and then I turned to look at her to help her, and boom, I fell too. I mean, we completely wiped out.

Meanwhile, a couple of the kids were showing off going insanely fast on them and doing tricks that looked pretty dangerous. The boards can go up to 10 mph!

My first thought as an emergency doc is: great, now I'm gonna see a bunch of injuries from this. I'm really worried kids are going to crack their skulls. I think some people will actually die from these.

EDIT: Here's a video I found about "hoverboard" related injuries:



Oh yeah, I put it in quotes because clearly these are not Back to the Future hoverboards. BUT, gotta admit, they are still tons of fun.... and very dangerous.

Thoughts?

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[DocEspana]

sort of want one

 

[DocVirk]

I've seen two broken wrists both in the adult crowd. Don't get on it after a few drinks...

 

[Mr Cousins]

Saw a nasty tib/fib fx a couple weeks ago

 

[Spinach Dip]

Can't be any worse than skateboards.... ....Can they?

 

[Arcan57]

Most people that try and skateboard fall off immediately so it weeds out a lot of people with no sense of balance and tends to create contusions but not fractures. A significantly higher percentage of people will be able to stay on a hover board long enough to pick up speed before falling off.

First injury I saw from a hover board had that shocked look I associate with people that had been completely unaware they were about to be assaulted. She had a look of helpless bewilderment like the universe had just turned on her for no reason.

 

[two guys]

I definitely want one, how could any relatively coordinated person look at that and not? The thing is so close to what I envisioned "the future" would be like growing up. That being said, I make a living with my hands and have enough potentially injurious hobbies (and high deductable health insurance).

I'm sure they cause a lot of injuries. You've got to assume you're going to fall the first 10 times you ride a bike. How about jumping a wake board, skiing, snowboarding, mountain biking, etc? Heck, google segway falls, those are particularity nasty and they're not even intended to be fun. If I'm going to break my wrist, I hope it's doing something fun.

 

[Angry Birds]

Federal government opens probe of hoverboards:

http://www.upi.com/Odd_News/2015/12...s-probe-of-hoverboards/1811450144017/?spt=trc

 

[dchristismi]

As I constantly reiterate, if it weren't for alcohol and gravity, I wouldn't have a referral base.

And since we haven't figured out how to turn off the gravity, and we all know how prohibition turned out... (just please, please stay the hell away from the K2/spice. That's getting ridiculous.)

 

[Mad Jack]

The most likely injury someone is going to receive that is on one of those things is a physical injury from their tendency to be so smugly punchable.

 

[Old Grunt]

I cover two EDs. One is a lower acuity ED and we have one there that we play around on if things are slow. No injuries yet.

 

[Angry Birds]

I cover two EDs. One is a lower acuity ED and we have one there that we play around on if things are slow. No injuries yet.

You should use it to see patients.

 

[Old Grunt]

You should use it to see patients.

We do. Also, on Halloween, a we throw on a ghost sheet and see patients.

 

[TheBlueBlazer]

39yo 240lb-er fell off one yesterday and ended up with an ICH - the moral of the story, don't ride these if you're fat and old

 

[IlDestriero]

I've seen some fractures coming to the OR. Good for business.

 

[DrDrummer]

Christmas Day = several pediatric pts with bad fractures from these.

 

[EskimoFriend13]

Christmas Day = several pediatric pts with bad fractures from these.

Same here. Is it bad that I still want one?

 

[Cerberus]

Christmas day distal radius fx - it was the dad trying it out

 

[The Buff]

Christmas Day: 7yo girl opens a hoverboard, gets on, immediately falls off...elbow dislocation and fracture.

 

[Psai]

Christmas Day: 7yo girl opens a hoverboard, gets on, immediately falls off...elbow dislocation and fracture.

Builds character

 

[alehar]

Christmas Day - mother trying son's hoverboard -> head trauma with LOC, wound up just a concussion thankfully

 

[BlackDynamite]

Didn't amazon recall some of these for blowing up?

 

[Arcan57]

39yo 240lb-er fell off one yesterday and ended up with an ICH - the moral of the story, don't ride these if you're fat and old

Everybody's just going to let the 39 is old stand?

 

[totalbodypain]

Everybody's just going to let the 39 is old stand?

Was working on a response but my senile 41 year old brain takes time to do its thing. Will get back to it after I finish gumming my breakfast.

 

[n2b8me]

I saw a bad concussion from one of these. occipital hematoma. no ich. seems like people need wrist protectors and a helmet at least.

 

[TheBlueBlazer]

Everybody's just going to let the 39 is old stand?

was hoping to rile some folks up with that, but the lack of opposition is a bit disappointing

 

[dchristismi]

Eh, depends on where you practice. I've seen some very old 39 year olds.
Although, in my practice, 80 is the new 40... and I wouldn't be surprised to see an 85 year old fall off one.

One of my medic's mom fell off one and broke her arm just last week. I'm sure we haven't even seen the beginning of this.

 

[CommunityED]

4 in a row christmas day. All with fractures, including 1 who needed to go to the OR for a bad bimalleolar fx

 

[HoosierdaddyO]

Enjoy the one and only Mr. Mike Tyson on the hoverboard lol, def worth the 30 seconds of your life lol!!!

 

[Spinach Dip]

was hoping to rile some folks up with that, but the lack of opposition is a bit disappointing

BRB. Will write in depth post about my opposition to your words as soon as I get some kids off my lawn.

 

[EM Junkie]

10 year old skull fracture and epidural last night. The girl's mom didn't want to get one for her because they "aren't safe". So girl borrowed her friend's.

 

[mdmacros]

Christmas day was busy with these injuries. Multiple wrist fractures. We also had a grandfather try to "impress" his grandson and ended up with a subdural.

 

[Levrone]

I've been working in a hospital for a week and just today saw a patient in the ICU from a hoverboard injury, he fell and has brain damage

 

[scoKraz4]

Saw an case yesterday with a woman who uses her daughters new hoverboard and fell. Shattered her rt radius and ulna

 

[NotWayneBrady]

Nope, but I did run into this gentleman selling them in Glendale (not my photo, however).

 

[Cinclus]

Nope, but I did run into this gentleman selling them in Glendale (not my photo, however).

Haha. Last week, I saw a little kid riding a pink hoverboard with a pink cast on her wrist. I thought the two things might be related...

 

[The White Coat Investor]

One of my nurses brought one in the other day. I took my shoes off, got on it, did a lap around the ED, and easily stepped off. I guess if you have no coordination these might be dangerous. Probably shouldn't let you walk down the hall by yourself though because a hoverboard isn't much harder. I mean, I knew I'd have to work at it if I wanted to go 10 mph or try some cool tricks or something, but to just ride it? Get some balance man.

 

[The White Coat Investor]

And I'm 40. Young punks.