Skateboarding Safety: Reasons You Should Always Wear Knee Pads

After you get through the initial falls, skateboarding can be lots of fun. But even when you can call yourself an experienced skater, there’s still going to be times when you land flat on your bottom, or even worse – your head or knees. That’s why you need to be always prepared with all the essential pieces of protective gear before you jump on the board.

While skateboarding is not a “stick-your-hand-into-the-mouth-of-a-lion” situation, it’s still pretty dangerous. Anyone who would think to skip on any protective piece would be a fool to do so. While I’m glad to see that most skaters are protecting their heads with helmets or wearing different types of streetwear sneakers, I’m still regularly seeing some that refuse to wear knee pads. Sure, they might not look cool, but you know what’s even less cool? – A leg cast. That being said, next time you crash directly on your knees, you’d be glad you took the precaution to wear knee pads for skateboarding.

In fact, the most common skateboard-related injuries occur around the knees. Knee injuries can be very serious as they can affect your whole leg. The knee is a very delicate body part with little protection of its own, only a thin layer of skin and muscle over the kneecap. If you fall on it while it’s bent, there will be nothing to cushion the fall. In the process you could end up tearing ligaments or muscles, or even breaking the kneecap or pushing it out of place. But knee pads for skateboarding can function as a cushion that reduces most of the impact force, protecting the knees and legs from getting seriously injured.

Depending on your skateboarding style, there are two types of knee pads: soft-shell and hard-shell. If you’re an amateur skateboarder, soft-shell pads are perfect for casual use when you’re not riding at a high velocity. They provide just enough protection to prevent common injuries to the knee such as scrapes, cuts, and bruises. On the other hand, there are hard-shell pads that are for all the hard-core skateboarding enthusiasts out there. Considering the materials they’re made of and their overall design, hard-shell knee pads resemble helmets. And just like helmets, they offer exceptional impact protection, allowing you to stay safe while performing dangerous stunts and tricks on a bowl or on a ramp.

Falls are not the only way one can injure the knee. Improper movement or overextending the joints and muscles can cause ligament tears and even make the knee collapse. However, hard and soft-shell pads that come with a stretchy sleeve, which you can slide over the leg and cover the back of the knee, support the muscles and ligaments and keep the knee cap into place. This way, your thigh muscles and calf muscles are held tightly against the mack of the knee, helping to prevent it from extending too much.