Why I finally left skating as an older adult.

[sarahspins]

This is my point, I needed a surgery that took me away from being able to do anything for myself for about 8 days.  And after that I drove with a cast and stayed home and took care of the house.  There is no guarantee that I will be able to do that again!  It depends on how serious the injury is.  That's why I left.

There are things in every day life that could result in the same outcome... skating does carry a risk of injury, but I don't believe that it's so inherently dangerous that someone should stop skating just because of one accident.  Accidents can happen just as easily off-ice as on.  If you avoid any activity where you might get hurt, eventually you'll find yourself with nothing to do at all... and living a sedentary life isn't good for anyone.

[icedancer]

So true Sarah - I can only think of twice where I injured myself skating to the extent that I needed home care, time off, etc. but can count countless times (!) where I have injured myself similarly just walking around... and tripping on stuff...

Ice is pretty forgiving, especially compared to sidewalk!

[Rachelsk8s]

Ice is pretty forgiving, especially compared to sidewalk!

Very true!!!

[Meli]

Ice is pretty forgiving, especially compared to sidewalk!

Got the comparison this past week.  It was pretty embarrassing to admit that I hurt myself shopping, rather than skating.  (Fortunately it was just a very purple, badly skinned knee!)

[rachelplotkin]

You shouldn't live your life based on what ifs.  Why would you want to limit yourself in that way?  Doesn't seem like a way to live at all.

[dlbritton]

(Fingers in ears) LA-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la-la. I've noticed that adult skaters like to tell newbies about their injuries they got while skating.  I think it can be a bit over exaggerated and I try not to listen to it.

I first started skating last summer partially to rehab my knee after a skiing accident and didn't really think about getting injured skating. I got a little spooked when I stated reading some of the skating blogs and saw the number of ligament injuries and broken bones skaters can suffer. That caused me some concern at first because a bad ligament injury could certainly put an end to my ski instructing. But at the same time, you can't avoid doing things you enjoy because of a slight chance of an injury.

I should have realized the possibility for broken bones exists because I always use protective gear (wrist guards, knee pads, helmet) when I go inline skating and ice isn't that much softer than concrete. I just hadn't thought much about ligament tears.

I have had several skaters comment about what a good idea wearing wrist guards is but I notice I am still the only one using them. But then I have other skaters ask me what happened, assuming they are casts.  I must admit breaking a wrist is my number one phobia with skating.

Sometimes I think about getting injured when my husband is away and, with the dogs are at home, I wonder how long it would be until I'd get back to them and who has a key to let them out and could I drive with a broken _____ (fill in the blank) and would I ever get back out on the ice and would I be too afraid and what if I fell on my blade somehow and the blade got stuck in my thigh or if my teeth got knocked out and...I have an active imagination.

I think the same thing when I am at the ski resort 3 1/2 hours from home and my wife is not with me, but then I know an instructor that suffered multiple fractures in her ankle just stepping out of her car and putting her foot down wrong.

[PinkLaces]

Ice is pretty forgiving, especially compared to sidewalk!

Yes, it is. I found this out on Monday. Slipped on some black ice in the parking lot taking my daughter to school.  No bruises, but couldn't put any weight on it for several days. It just made me grumpy that I couldn't skate that night.

[sampaguita]

A friend of mine completely tore his ACL and meniscus after an axel attempt gone wrong. It's gonna take a year for him to completely recover, but even then I doubt he would come back. I'm sure he's not scared of skating per se, but since skating is hard on the knees (even if he pursues dance), the chance of re-injury is high.

My take on this is -- yes, there are risks, and the *chances* of injury are higher while on the ice than off the ice. However, the actual chance of injury varies from person to person, and only you can evaluate if skating's worth that risk.

[Cush]

dlbritton, I tore ligaments in my ankle when I first started skating. Then more recently partially tore my MCL on a fall while skating. I don't have anyone to help me take care of anything at home so it is a risk, but I am back to skating nonetheless. I've also had crashes on my bike and problems from running (guess I'm accident prone). I figure anything I do is a risk, so I'll do it anyway.

[Qarol]

This is kind of why I gave up jumping. I got tired of falling. I switched to ice dancing. I know I'm not immune to falls on the ice, but I'd rather keep skating and just eliminate what seems to hurt the most.

[dlbritton]

This is kind of why I gave up jumping. I got tired of falling. I switched to ice dancing. I know I'm not immune to falls on the ice, but I'd rather keep skating and just eliminate what seems to hurt the most.

I will be (approaching) 60 before I am ready to try any jumps and have no aspirations to do anything beyond the 1/2 revolution jumps. When the time comes I may realize jumps of any kind are not in the cards. I have always preferred to keep my skis on the snow and may decide to keep my skates on the ice as well.