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US doctors say trampolines are a danger to kids

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19713691

US doctors say children should be discouraged from using trampolines because they are a health hazard.

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) estimates that almost 98,000 people are injured each year in the US on trampolines and many of these are children.

UK safety experts say the sport is growing in popularity here and related injuries are on the rise.

But they say trampolining can be a healthy way to exercise and good fun.
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A safety net is not a substitute for adult supervision”

Rospa spokesman

The renewed advice from the AAP says paediatricians need to "actively discourage" recreational trampoline use.

Dr Michele LaBotz, who co-authored the AAP report said: "Families need to know that many injuries occur on the mat itself, and current data do not appear to demonstrate that netting or padding significantly decrease the risk of injury."

The researchers found that most injuries occur when more than one person is on a trampoline.

Children under five are more likely to suffer serious injury, with 48% of injuries in this group resulting in fractures and dislocations.

Some injuries may even be fatal - failed attempts at somersaults and flips frequently cause cervical spine injuries, resulting in permanent and devastating consequences, says the AAP.
Supervision

But the UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Accidents (Rospa) says trampolining can be enjoyed safely if a few simple rules are followed.

For example, put the trampoline on a softer surface like the lawn rather than concrete and consider using safety netting.

"But a safety net is not a substitute for adult supervision," a spokesman added.

More than half of all trampoline accidents occur while children are being watched by an adult, but using trained supervisors can greatly reduce this risk, says Rospa.

Latest UK figures show that, in 2002, 11,500 people in the UK ended up in hospital after a trampoline accident - an increase of more than 50% in five years.

Seriously, theyre going after trampolines now? Why not just wrap kids in bubble wrap for the wrest of their lives and make them live in a clean room...
Thoughts and views on this?

Scroll to see replies

Reply 1

Dhaal_Chawal

They can be if there is no adult supervising them, but generally they shouldn't be banned.

Reply 2

Fuzzpig

Hmmm. I've seen trampolining go wrong before, and I would not let my future children do it at home simply because it's so easy to fall. Fractures and the likes are fine, kids will (hopefully) get over those. But I'd be too scared of them breaking their necks. I could not live with the guilt I would feel of having allowed them to do it.

That said, I would maybe allow them to go to a club with qualified instructors if I was certain nothing would go wrong - any risk there is controlled for and reduced.

I'd allow them to do crazy things with proper harnesses and helmets and what not, but tampolining at home is a bit too... free. You're not held in anything or protected in any way.

I'm talking about those big trampolines, not the 1 metre ones with the handle bars!

Call me boring or whatever but I agree with this article.

Reply 3

ladymarshmallow

Oh come on! This is getting ridiculous. Yes, children do get injured on trampolines, but there's a risk to everything in life. We can't just wrap children up in cotton wool for the rest of their lives.

Reply 4

+ polarity -

My mum says that too. She says over the summer she sees 'loads' of kids admitted because they'll flown off a trampoline. She thinks they should be banned, I think she's being over the top. :p:

Reply 5

kiss_me_now9

Trampolines like this -

definitely potential to be dangerous, especially if the child isn't being supervised or they're trying stupid things like flips.

If it has a cage it's more safe, you need to have something around the sides to protect you if you bounce too close to the side. However I would say that a trampoline in a back garden even with a cage is going to be massively more dangerous than a trampoline where there is a specified adult that can help and watch the people on it. Even then things can go wrong - but when they do it's more controlled, there's someone there straight away to get help and hopefully even minimise any injury.

I too agree with the article.

Reply 6

Friar Chris

Original post by cl_steele

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19713691

Seriously, theyre going after trampolines now? Why not just wrap kids in bubble wrap for the wrest of their lives and make them live in a clean room...
Thoughts and views on this?

Trampolines have been receiving this kind of criticism for years, it's not new, and it's not entirely unreasonable. Whilst I share your disdain for the perceived need to remove all risk from childhood (and, indeed, adulthood), trampolines are significantly more dangerous than the average outdoors activities that receive criticism for being 'hazardous'.

Given how many households choose to get un-enclosed, metal framed, high performance trampolines not for sports/gymnastics practice but for very young children to just mess about on, there is a significant risk of broken ankles, limbs, and sadly even necks and backs which cause fatalities. There needs to be some education and note here about the difference between, say, a 14-year-old 'child' using a trampoline for trampolining, and parents letting 5-year-old children just bounce around on one, the latter of which can indeed be quite dangerous.

Reply 7

Clip

I have a friend who is a Housing Officer. According to him, a trampoline in the garden is an extremely reliable indicator of a chav family.

Reply 8

cl_steele

Original post by Clip

I have a friend who is a Housing Officer. According to him, a trampoline in the garden is an extremely reliable indicator of a chav family.

hmpth

, I have a trampoline in my garden and we'renot a chav family!

Reply 9

SneakyDoug

Who cares? Yes they are dangerous but so is just about every physical activity in one way or another. I've played on them a lot on them I was like 8-12 and yes there is potential to get injured but in all my time the worst I got was a burst lip from knee-ing myself in the face. It's all about knowing your own limits on what you can actually do on them.

Reply 10

kiss_me_now9

Original post by SneakyDoug

The trouble is people don't know their own limits on them.

There's only a few sports that tbh I would think are in the same risk category as trampolining - horse riding, maybe rugby if you're on a rough team, BMX biking

All see injuries such as paralysis, broken necks, broken backs, head injuries. You're not going to see that kind of thing when you're talking about football, rounders, hockey, tennis, dancing or something similar.

Reply 11

DocHama

Walking down the stairs, getting out the shower while wet, walking in the snow, driving etc are all dangerous too. Should we encourage people not to do these? At the end of the day accidents will happen no matter what you're doing. Yes trampolining will increase the likeliness, but if these kids dont break a bone or need a plaster, they are going to grow up and the first sight of pain or danger will scare them to death.

Reply 12

ArcaneAnna

Original post by Clip

I have a friend who is a Housing Officer. According to him, a trampoline in the garden is an extremely reliable indicator of a chav family.

What or who is a chav?

OOoooh! You meant charv. right?

Reply 13

balloon_parade

Original post by Friar Chris

There needs to be some education and note here about the difference between, say, a 14-year-old 'child' using a trampoline for trampolining, and parents letting 5-year-old children just bounce around on one, the latter of which can indeed be quite dangerous.

I have a 5 year old and a trampoline (4ft) but I don't see how she can hurt herself more severely than climbing trees or at the adventure park? The trampoline is enclosed by a safety net, she is always supervised and I wouldn't let mixed aged children go on or too many children. The mat is obviously pulled quite tight so she doesn't have the leg power to jump high enough to hurt herself.

For a 5 year old, what is the difference between an enclosed trampoline and a bouncy castle? Where essentially they could cause the same amount of harm?

Isn't it just about letting them discover their limits with your supervision and 'safe' risk-taking?

I have a feeling this data is about those who buy trampolines without safety nets or sufficient padding over the springs. I don't understand why trampolines and nets aren't automatically sold together. As I do agree that a trampoline with no safety equipment is potentially very dangerous and I wouldn't let my child use one.

Reply 14

Dragonfly07

Trampolines are definitely dangerous if you bounce off the side. They make you jump pretty high so the height they fall from is about 7 or 8 feet, which is ridiculous and can be fatal.

Otherwise if the trampoline is caged the kids could still twist ankles, necks or arms, but I'd say the risk of that happening is minimal if the child is over the age of maybe 7.

Reply 15

whyumadtho

The children just need to be more responsible by avoiding somersaults and jumping too high; there is no need to call for a complete ban on trampolines. :s-smilie:

Obviously, one person at a time (common sense, surely) and a safety net are additional measures to prevent injuries.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 16

CoolRunner

Original post by Clip

I have a friend who is a Housing Officer. According to him, a trampoline in the garden is an extremely reliable indicator of a chav family.

You hit the nail on the head. :smile:

Reply 17

Friar Chris

Original post by balloon_parade

I have a 5 year old and a trampoline (4ft) but I don't see how she can hurt herself more severely than climbing trees or at the adventure park?

A) Do you let her go climbing trees unsupervised? I somehow doubt it.
B) Adventure parks actually usually have a series of carefully planned safety features, including design features to stop jumping or falling any great distance.

And all the rest is besides the point - the fact that you supervise your child isn't the issue here; it's the fact that many more don't, and that they don't realise the risk. A trampoline's greatest danger is that it appears and seems (as to you) to be quite innocuous and harmless both to the parent and to the child - bouncing on a large springboard doesn't feel dangerous when you're doing it, which makes it exceptionally more dangerous for younger children especially who don't realise that they could potentially maim or kill themselves.

At least climbing a tree, most children have a sense of the potential danger and the fear of falling. The issue with trampolines is the lack of both parent awareness of the danger, and the fact that children do not consider there to be a risk (unlike when climbing or even riding a bike) means that the potential risk is actually multiplied on account of the blissful ignorance. Most parents wouldn't dream of leaving young children unsupervised on a bike (even in the garden), would equip them with crash helmets and (depending on the age) even extra protection and stabilisers. Very few would think twice about letting kids bounce on a trampoline; and that is what the problem is - there is no sense of how a trampoline is not technically a toy and does indeed carry risk.

Reply 18

TayRex

Well no ****. Everybody knows they're dangerous.

Put a safety net around the edge and just tell them not to do flips and ****. They can bounce all they want. Are we going to ban bikes because they could go out in the road? Pogo sticks because they could fall off? Lego because they might step on it and that hurts like a bitch?

Reply 19

Hopple

Swimming's dangerous, you can drown. Running's dangerous, you could trip and get an infection from the roadkill you scraped your knee on. Walking outside is dangerous, you can get skin cancer.

It's fun, **** off stupid 'scientists'.