Hoverboards: spectrum of injury and association with an uncommon fracture

Self-balancing electric scooters, commonly known as hoverboards, are a new and popular consumer item with recognized fall hazards. The spectrum of injuries associated with hoverboard use has not been studied.

The purpose of this study is to determine the spectrum of radiologically apparent injuries associated with hoverboard use.

We retrospectively reviewed all imaging studies interpreted at our institution for hoverboard-related injuries during an 8-month period. We recorded patient demographics and injury characteristics.

Thirty-two of the 47 pediatric patients imaged for hoverboard-related injury had radiologically detectable injuries, all fractures. Fifty percent of these 32 patients were female and 50% were male, with a mean age of 12.4 years. There were 42 fractures total, all involving the appendicular skeleton, with 74% in the upper extremities and 26% in the lower extremities. Thirty-eight percent of the fractures involved the physis. A distinct injury pattern was seen in three patients who sustained open distal phalanx juxta-epiphyseal fractures.

Most of the fractures sustained during hoverboard use are commonly seen in everyday pediatric radiology practice, with an overall pattern paralleling that reported in association with skateboard use. However an otherwise uncommon fracture, the distal phalanx juxta-epiphyseal fracture, was identified in association with hoverboard use, and this finding has important treatment implications including need for irrigation and debridement, antibiotic therapy, and potential surgical fixation.