Study affirms safety of Heelys footwear
Following some concerns over the risk posed to children wearing Heelys wheeled footwear, Heelys, Inc. has issued the results of its most recent study using Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) data, which confirms an earlier study finding that using Heelys wheeled footwear is safer than cycling, skateboarding, basketball, soccer and even tennis.
The latest study, conducted by Heiden Associates, a product safety consulting firm, analysed more than 2.056 million CPSC incident reports through CPSC's National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) on product-related injuries from January 2001 until September 2006.
Commenting on the results of the study, CEO of Heelys, Mike Staffaroni, said, “When Heelys are used in accordance with safety instructions we provide in our packaging and on our website (with the proper safety equipment), wheeled sports provide safe opportunities for children to exercise.”
Dr Damien Dauphinée, a reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon, has gone one step further and claims that wearing Heelys wheeled footwear could actually be beneficial to those who participate in sports such as soccer or gymnastics, stating, “Using Heelys may actually help prevent a common childhood heel disease associated with soccer and gymnastics called Sever's disease, because the posture used when skating with Heelys helps stretch the calves.”
