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Children who use trampolines at play centres are more likely to be seriously injured and need hospitalisation than those who trampoline at home according to newly published research.
The research, published in the Injury Prevention journal, show that in Australia trampoline injuries were responsible for 1500 children being admitted to hospital every year between 2002 and 2011.
Similarly, trampolines account for nearly 100,000 emergency room visits by children every year in the USA, while trampoline injuries explain half of all emergency admissions among under-14s in the UK.
The analysis revealed a different pattern of injuries sustained at commercial centres and at home, and that children who used trampoline centres tended to be older than those trampolining at home.
Leg injuries, sprains, and requirement for surgery were more common at trampoline centres, possibly because of structural differences in the trampoline mat used at home and at trampoline centres, say the researchers.
Children using trampolining centres were more than twice as likely to sustain orthopaedic and musculoskeletal injuries as those trampolining at home while leg injuries were three times as common.
Here the researchers advised that "the higher tensile strength used in commercial trampoline centres may produce a harder bounce which amplifies the loading in bones and ligaments.”
While there was no difference in the risk of hospital admission after a trampoline injury at either location, the need for surgery was nearly twice as high for injuries sustained at a trampoline centre.
While a higher risk of injuries was observed in older children and teenagers at trampoline centres there was no difference in the risk of head, face or trunk injuries, dislocated joints, broken bones, or spinal injuries between the two locations.
In addition, age limit restrictions or greater levels of supervision may explain lower rates of injury among children under the age of six at trampoline centres.
However, trampoline centres recorded 52% fewer arm injuries, cuts, and concussions, which the researchers attributed to the protective padding.
After such meticulous detailing of all the dangers a quick jump can bring, the researchers also grimly revealed safety guidelines for trampoline centres were not legislated anywhere in the world.
In a statement, they advised "most trampoline centres only demand a user's injury liability waiver before admission, and the current AAP (American Academy of Pediatrics) policy statement on trampolines does not include trampoline centres because of the lack of data regarding the safety of these recreational venues."
While AAP policy discourages backflips and somersaults in the home setting due to reported deaths and spinal cord injuries, many commercial trampoline franchises don't have these rules, they noted.
The researchers added "considering the rapid global expansion of the commercial trampoline industry in the last decade, the increasing injury rates, and the cost to health systems, the development and implementation of evidence based safety standards and preventative strategies and public awareness campaigns are urgently required.”
The study Trampoline centre injuries in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis doi 10.1136/injuryprev-2022-044530 was carried out in the USA, South Korea, Canada, the UK, Singapore, Australia and New Zealand.
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14th September 2018 - Studies show rise in ‘different’ types of injuries at commercial trampoline parks
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18th March 2018 - Rising injury numbers lead to calls for regulation of UK trampoline parks
16th February 2018 - Standards Australia highlights its role in trampoline park safety
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19th August 2017 - Wodonga’s new trampoline arena offers complete fun environment
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