It's probably fair to say that, as professions go, skateboarding is up there as one of the most potentially hazardous.
Any of us who attempted to skate when we were younger will remember the various bumps, bruises and grazes that come as part and parcel of learning the basics of skateboarding. And when you bear in mind the snail's pace most of us were travelling at, while also relatively close to the ground, you can appreciate why even professional skaters are not immune to brutal injuries from time to time.
Check out this incredible video of Tony Hawk landing the first ever 900:Someone who knows this probably better than most is skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, who took to Instagram recently to share a stark x-ray that was taken after a skating accident. Hawk was skating with his son and friends in an empty backyard pool when he dislocated several fingers and had to be rushed to hospital.

"Explaining how the incident transpired, Hawk wrote on Instagram;
"The session was fun until I did a backside smith stall as a set up for a backside blunt, and suddenly found myself on the flat bottom with my fingers bending in new directions.
"The coping was huge and I paid the price by hanging up on my back truck. In that moment, I regretted not wearing full pads. Ironically, that wouldn’t have saved me from injury but I was being too cavalier to think that a wall over 8’ with vert was as “safe” as a mini-ramp.
"The session came to a screeching halt, and Riley drove me to the hospital like Ricky Bobby with a cougar in the backseat. Upon being admitted, a nurse checked my fingers and said they looked ‘dusky.’"
He continued;
"Apparently, “dusky” is the color of extreme circulation loss. Within 30 mins, my fingers were back in place, and no longer dusky,"
And here's the image the skater shared of the x-ray of his injury:
"Just received my x-rays from Saturday’s debacle. They had to cut my ring off before returning my bones to their full upright and locked position. My fingers are still sore / stiff / swollen but mostly functional. And I still love my job." he wrote.
Hawk also posted images of the injured hand itself, through as they're a little gruesome, you can click through here to his Instagram should you wish to see them.
The skater concluded his original post on the injury thus;
"I write this because today I am filled with divergent emotions: sadness from scaring my son & friends, regret from being cocky / careless, grateful from having an injury that could have been worse, and frustrated that I never got a backside blunt… as my skater ego endures. As pro skaters, we accept that injuries are inevitable and perseverance is key to success. But it still sucks to get hurt, especially at my age. And I’ll still be back for more".
Wishing you a speedy recovery!