Is It True About Those Heely Shoes In The Parks????

[CampbellScot]

I really hate these wretched shoes. Ever since witnessing a child in heelys crash into two elderly people while at the mall...causing an AMBULANCE to be called for all involved...

I saw kids on heelys several times while at WDW last August. It's frustrating b/c the rules state that you cannot have them in the parks. It doesn't matter if the kids don't appear to be bothering anyone, it doesn't matter if they stay by their parent's sides the whole time. THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED. They are a safety hazard. Period.

My husband is an occupational therapist and he has seen NEW muscle/joint/tendon issues that have come up due to these "shoes". The position in which children have to place their bodies to use heelys puts a massive strain on their achilles tendon as well as their backs. My husband has treated TWO children already who have suffered tendon damage and in one case rupture due in large part to the hours spent wearing these things. They can't be compared to roller blades and skates as heelys require the body to assume an unnatural position for use. Roller blades and skates do not.

It's a not a wonder that we have a childhood obesity problem in America. Kids can't even walk nowadays. They have to roll...

I find it interesting that when roller blades were big and even roller skates, people didn't wear them into malls and grocery stores. They weren't allowed b/c it wasn't safe and malls and grocery stores aren't playgrounds...but in today's world kids can do whatever they want, no matter the rules or the danger they put themselves or other people in.

I wish that Disney would enforce the rules on these things...people come to the dis, see people saying that "their kids used them with no problem and we just ignored the CM that told us to stop..."

THEY ARE NOT ALLOWED. YOUR KID IS NOT SPECIAL. YOUR FAMILY IS NOT ABOVE THE RULES. NO MEANS NO.

 

[texaslover]

My husband is an occupational therapist and he has seen NEW muscle/joint/tendon issues that have come up due to these "shoes". The position in which children have to place their bodies to use heelys puts a massive strain on their achilles tendon as well as their backs. My husband has treated TWO children already who have suffered tendon damage and in one case rupture due in large part to the hours spent wearing these things.

Which position is causing the massive strain, the leaning back on the wheels (basically an achilles stretch) or the walking forward to the toes (using the muscle to balance)? I'm interested in knowing the reasons for the problem and what prompted the parents to bring the children for therapy. Did they sa how much usage caused it? Was the tendon that ruptured the achilles? That is an injury that is mostly seen in elite level athletes doing incredibly difficult turns and jolts or tackles. What was the circumstance of the serious damage and rupture? You don't hear much about those injuries even in ballet where the dancers are constantly jumping and on their toes so there must be some sort of movement in Heelying that is different from a normal stretch or lift.

I feel like any information I can get will help me to make a better decision about when and how much to have DS on the shoes. Thanks for any information you can give.

 

[ukcatfan]

I saw this come back to the top and wanted to address it since it was written in response to my post.

DS wears the Heely's approximately every other day for around 1 to 2 hours at a time (or less). Usually when he is playing outside with friends, running errands with me and wants to cruise the sidewalks, etc. He would never wear them as regular shoes because they are not meant to be walked in for long distances. Maybe that is the misconception, people see kids in them and think they wear them as a regular shoe or to school all day. They are not allowed in schools (as a teacher I say thank goodness!). They have arch support like a regular athletic shoe and the wheels can be taken out to walk normally.

I don't think that he will have any problems in the future because of the Heelys just like I don't think someone who goes to roller skate, skateboard, ski, or other type of sport periodically would.

I was just passing on information from the Podiatrist. He said that they were the best thing for his business that he has seen in years. He said that it was due to the unnatural positions that you put your feet and other joints in to ride them. He said that regular skates are much safer than them. I am not saying that you have to agree with me, but if someone in that field tells me that they are that dangerous, then I will not get them. The Pediatrician said that the kids may as well play with broken glass in a busy intersection instead of wearing them. He is a little strange, but I got his point. He feels the same way about trampolines. It is your kid, not mine, so the decesion is yours. Like I said, just passing along information.

Kevin