Sports injury in Australia

Roller sports include skateboarding, rollerblading, and non-motored scooters.

An estimated 276,000 Australians aged 15 and over participated in roller sports in 2021–22 (ASC, 2022).  There were about 4,100 injury hospitalisations attributed to roller sports, 2,600 males and 1,500 females.

After a 50% increase in the age-standardised rate of roller sport hospitalisations for males, and a 123% increase for females between 2018–19 and 2020–21, hospitalisations are now trending downwards in 2021–22 (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Trend in roller sports injury hospitalisations sports, by sex, 2012–13 to 2021–22

For more detail, see data tables B1–2.

The highest number of hospitalisations was in the 10–14 age group (Figure 2).

Figure 2: Age distribution of injury hospitalisations from roller sports, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A14.

About 7 in 10 of these hospitalisations (74%) were fractures (Figure 3).

Figure 3: Top 5 injury hospitalisations from roller sports, by type of injury as a proportion, 2021–22

Note: Type of injury is derived from the principal diagnosis.
Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A25.

There were 140 hospitalisations for concussion – 98 males and 42 females.

The main site of injury was most often the arm and shoulder region (45%), followed by the leg and hip region (26%) (Figure 4).

Figure 4: Injury hospitalisations from roller sports, by body part injured, as a proportion, 2021–22

Notes
1. Body part injured is derived from the principal diagnosis.
2. ‘Trunk’ includes thorax, abdomen, lower back, lumbar spine & pelvis.

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A26.

When specified, the cause of 9 out of 10 of these injuries (89%) was a fall (Figure 5).

Figure 5: Cause of injury as a proportion when specified, injury hospitalisations from roller sports, 2021–22

Source: AIHW NHMD.

For more detail, see data table A27.