Heelys, formerly known as Heeling Sports Limited, is a brand of roller shoe 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. Roger Adams patented Heelys in 1999. The headquarters are located in Carrollton, Texas.
Injuries
The journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics published a study of injuries resulting from the use of Heelys. 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, found:
An injury rate of approximately 51 injuries per 100,000 children. For comparison, in 1997 the United States, nonfatal dog bites required 151 emergency department visits per 100,000 population.
34% of the injuries were suffered by children using Heelys for the very first time. 70% had used the products five or fewer times.
The injuries comprised 8% of the workload for the pediatric orthopedic department.
12% of the injured children were familiar with the instructions for use of the products.
Protective equipment
The manufacturer says, "We highly recommend when the wheels are in the shoes." Most users do not wear protective gear because the shoes are worn for everyday use.
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.
Ground tricks – the main category of tricks used in heeling.
Grinds – these tricks can only be performed if the model has a nylon pad in the shoe, it involves jumping on a surface, landing on the nylon pad and sliding across the surface.
Stalls – generally involves jumping onto a raised object and pausing before jumping off and heeling once more.
Vert – any type of tricks performed on a vert ramp.
Flips - usually performed on a trampoline or off a high surface that has a soft surface under. Jump up and tuck just as a normal flip
