Doctors have come out with shocking news: shoes with wheels are not the most stable way to walk. Around the world medical professionals are reporting broken arms, legs and cracked skulls because of these Heelys "The shoes that roll." Shoes that roll you right into the emergency room.
I'm being melodramatic, like my local television news, but is anyone really surprised that walking with a wheel on the bottom of your shoe is not exactly stable? A report from Dublin, Ireland says over a 10 week period last summer 67 children were treated for injuries after a mishap with Heelys. In the United States, in a 15 month period, one death and 64 "Roller Shoe" accidents were reported to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Same story in Singapore which reports 37 injuries at a hospital over a 7 month period in 2004.
Best quote: "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."
They're just regular shoes.....until they crack your head open.
Doctors are now recommending children wear protective gear when wearing Heelys. Since kids wear these shoes all day, I'm finding this suggestion pretty comical. My daughter would sell both her kidneys for a pair of Heelys. I've continually said no because she can't even master the art of the flip flop, I'm not about to put a wheel on her shoe. Even if she agrees to wear protective gear 12 hours a day.
