Injuries in a temporary ice rink

Introduction and objectives: Recreational ice-skating carries a high risk of injury because of the strong probability of falls. The aim of this study was to describe injuries and associated risk factors in a temporary ice rink. Methods: We recorded all injuries produced in a temporary ice rink installed for 1 month in a town in Murcia. For all ice skaters injured, information on age, gender, body region injured, mechanism of injury, diagnosis, and ice skating experience was recorded. The data were gathered by staff from the Spanish Red Cross in the first aid facilities situated beside the ice rink. Results: A total of 185 recreational ice skaters (95 females and 90 males) were injured. The most common injuries were slight injuries such as bruises (40%) and superficial wounds (28.2%). Fractures accounted for 1.6% of all injuries. Most skating-related injuries involved the wrist (29.2%), followed by the foot (13.0%) and the knee (10.8%). Most of the injuries were caused by falls (71%), mainly due to loss of balance (61.2%). Beginners appeared to be more prone to injury than experienced skaters. Conclusions: The number of injuries was low compared with the total number of skaters and most of the injuries were slight.