Heelys

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A pair of Heelys Motionplusredblackgrey.jpg
A pair of Heelys

Heelys (formerly known as Heeling Sports Limited) is an American brand of roller shoe (marketed by Heelys, Inc.) that have usually one or more removable wheels embedded in each sole, similar to inline skates, allowing the wearer to walk, run, or, by shifting their weight to their heels, roll. Braking can be achieved by lowering the back of the foot so that sole contacts the ground. [1] Roger Adams patented Heelys in 1999. [2] The headquarters are located in Carrollton, Texas. [3]

Contents

Protective equipment

The manufacturer says, "We highly recommend [the use of protective gear] when the wheels are in the shoes." [4] Most users do not wear protective gear because the shoes are worn for everyday use [1] (unlike more specialized sporting equipment such as inline skates).

Tricks

Advanced Heelys users can perform tricks such as spins, backwards skating and skating on one foot.

There are four categories of tricks used in heeling: ground tricks, grinding tricks, stalling tricks and vert tricks. [5]

Controversy

The journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study [1] of injuries resulting from the use of Heelys (and Street Gliders, a similar product that is strapped onto regular shoes). The study counted only significant injuries that required assessment by an orthopedic surgeon, ignoring minor injuries that were treated solely in the emergency department. The 10-week study (conducted during summer school holiday), found:

See also

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Vioreanu, Mihai; Sheehan, Eoin; Glynn, Aaron; Casidy, Noelle; Stephens, Michael; McCormack, Damian (2007-06-01). "Heelys and Street Gliders Injuries: A New Type of Pediatric Injury". Pediatrics. 119 (6): e1294–e1298. doi:10.1542/peds.2006-2882. ISSN   0031-4005. PMID   17545360. S2CID   19730494.
  2. Xan, Kiami (2 May 2012). "Heelys shoes". Archived from the original on 9 March 2017. Retrieved 8 March 2017. Heelys in 1999 patented by Roger Adams and is to this day immensely popular today.
  3. Ross, Michael E. (2004-04-27). "Childhood passion grows into pop culture craze". NBC News. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013. Retrieved 2008-12-01.
  4. "Heelys Shop. FAQs". shop.heelys.com. Retrieved 2017-03-08.
  5. "Tricktionary". Archived from the original on 2009-04-25. Retrieved May 1, 2009.
  6. Lawrence, David. "IPW: Healthy People 2010 Injury Prevention Objectives". www.safetypolicy.org. Retrieved 2017-03-08.