Sports injury in Australia

Roller sports include skateboarding, rollerblading, and non-motored scooters (see technical notes for an inclusive list).

An estimated 145,300 Australians aged 15 and over participated in roller sports in 2023–24 (ASC 2024). During this period, there were nearly 2,600 injury hospitalisations attributed to roller sports: around 1,800 males and 800 females. The highest number of injury hospitalisations was among those aged 10–14 (510 cases), while the 65+ age group had the lowest number of hospitalisations (39 cases) (Figure 26).

For more detail, see data table 4.

Trends over the past decade

Between 2014–15 and 2016–17, the age-standardised rate of sports injury hospitalisations from roller sports was relatively stable for both sexes, at an average of 21 hospitalisations per 100,000 population for males and 7.3 hospitalisations per 100,000 population for females. During this same period, the number of hospitalisations ranged from 2,300 to 2,400 for males and 760 to 840 for females (Figure 27).

Figure 27: Number and age-standardised rate (per 100,000 population) of injury hospitalisations from roller sports by sex, Australia, 2014–15 to 2023–24

For more detail, see data table 5.

From 2017–18 to 2023–24, the number of hospitalisations ranged from 1,800 to 3,200 for males and 720 to 1,800 for females. Between 2017–18 to 2018–19, injury hospitalisation rates were relatively stable for males and females. Hospitalisation rates were lowest for females (6.4 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) in 2017–18.

From 2019–20 to 2021–22, there was a spike in injury hospitalisations – a likely effect of the COVID-19 pandemic. Hospitalisation rates were highest in 2020–21 for males (27 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) and females (15 hospitalisations per 100,000 population).

Across 2022–23 and 2023–24, injury hospitalisation rates were decreasing for males (from 16 to 14 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) and females (from 8.8 to 6.5 hospitalisations per 100,000 population). Hospitalisations rates were lowest for males (14 hospitalisations per 100,000 population) in 2023–24.

Nature of injuries

For injury hospitalisations from roller sports in 2023–24, the top 3 most injured body parts across all ages were:

• shoulder and upper limb, excluding wrist and hand (42% of injury hospitalisations or 1,100 cases)
• hip and lower limb, excluding ankle and foot (26% of injury hospitalisations or 670 cases)
• head and neck (16% of injury hospitalisations or 415 cases) (Figure 28).

Figure 28: Common injuries and causes of sports injury hospitalisations from roller sports, Australia, 2023–24

For more detail, see data table 12.

Fractures accounted for 7 out of 10 injury hospitalisations (or 1,800 cases), followed by open wounds (8.3% of injury hospitalisations or 215 cases) and intracranial injuries (5.2% injury hospitalisations or 135 cases). About 67% of these intracranial injury hospitalisations were concussions: 73 males and 18 females.

The top 3 common causes of injury hospitalisations from roller sports in 2023–24 were:

• falls (87% of injury hospitalisations or 2,300 cases)
• transport (3.5% of injury hospitalisations or 91 cases)
• contact with objects (3.1% of injury hospitalisations or 80 cases).