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Nearly 100,000 were injured on trampolines in 2009, the last year for which there is complete data, pediatricians warn.
Trampolines are too dangerous for children to use, the American Academy of Pediatrics said Monday. Citing nearly 100,000 injuries in 2009, the academy issued the warning in a statement published in Pediatrics and noted that the safety nets added in recent years don’t make much of a difference.
That makes a lot of sense to Carolyn Prouty.
Prouty will never forget the day, eight years ago, she saw her 8-year-old daughter Destini bounce off the backyard trampoline and land hard on her head and neck. Prouty rushed over to find her daughter in excruciating pain, arms numb.
“My first response was that she was going to be paralyzed, seeing how she landed,” said Prouty, a nurse from Spokane, Wash.
Destini was airlifted to the hospital where doctors determined that she hadn’t broken anything, but had sustained a concussion and a strained neck. But that was enough for Prouty. “It was a big relief to know that she was fine, but I got rid of the trampoline,” she said.
Destini had been showing her mom gymnastics moves she’d been practicing when the accident happened. Like many parents, Prouty had assumed that as long as her daughter followed general safety rules such as only one child on the trampoline at a time, Destini would be fine. But even when safety precautions are taken, trampolines can still be dangerous, said Dr. Michele LaBotz, a lead author of the new AAP statement and a sports medicine physician at Intermed Sports Medicine in Portland, Me.
And attempts by the trampoline industry to make things safer, like the addition of nets, don’t seem to have made much difference, LaBotz said. They do, however, tend to lull parents into a false sense of security.
“Pediatricians need to actively discourage recreational trampoline use,” said LaBotz, a member of the American Academy of Pediatrics executive council on sports medicine and fitness. “This is not a toy. It’s a piece of equipment. We recommend that you not provide it for your family or your neighbors to use. But if you do use one, you need to be aware of the risks.”
Parents mistakenly see trampolines as benign playthings, LaBotz said.
“I think parents see the soft springy mat and they think it’s safe, like water,” LaBotz said. “What they don’t realize is that once you get it to bouncing, especially if there are multiple users, it can be dangerous. Bigger kids and adults like to rocket propel up the little kids, getting them to bounce higher than they would otherwise and if the kid comes down wrong, it is the same as falling 9 or 10 feet onto a hard surface.”
In fact, data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System show that most – 75 percent – of trampoline injuries occur when multiple people are jumping on the mat. In those cases, the smaller child was 14 times as likely as a larger one to be injured.
That’s how Brooke Carlson’s 12-year-old son Clay broke his hand five years ago on a friend’s trampoline. It all happened so quickly, said Carlson, a horse trainer from Morgan Hill, Calif.
“He was only there 15 or 20 minutes jumping on the trampoline with his brother and two friends,” Carlson said. “I thought they were pretty safe.”
Carlson had planned on buying a trampoline herself until the accident. “After this I was scared that somebody would get hurt on it,” she said.
The NEISS data showed that the youngest kids are at greatest risk for significant injury, including fractures of the legs and spine. Studies have shown that children younger than 6 years old accounted for 22 to 37 percent of all those turning up in the emergency room for evaluation. And NEISS data show that 29 percent of injuries in kids ages 6 to 17 were fractures or dislocations, as compared with 48 percent in kids 5 years and younger.
Among the most common injuries in all age groups, include sprains, strains and contusions. Falls from the trampoline accounted for 37 to 39 percent of all injuries and can be potentially catastrophic, the authors reported. Especially frightening was one study cited by LaBotz and her colleagues that found that 1 in 200 trampoline injuries resulted in some sort of permanent neurologic damage.
In LaBotz’s experience, even after a kid has an accident, parents will often continue to let them use the trampoline. “There are a number of families, even those with kids who have had significant injuries, who decide they still want the trampoline as part of what they offer to their children,” LaBotz said.
That doesn’t surprise Dr. Barbara A. Gaines, director of trauma and injury prevention at the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.
“This is something kids really like,” Gaines said. “It’s fun and it’s something you can do in your backyard. It doesn’t have a motor attached. And all of that give parents a false sense of security, especially when you add in safety devices like nets. But this statement is highlighting the fact that there are no data showing that they make it any safer.”
Given that many parents probably won’t be willing to give up the trampoline in their backyard, Gaines commends the AAP for also providing a list of safety measures for people who do continue to use the equipment.
Ultimately, the most important thing is for parents to recognize the danger.
“When individual families come in with an injured child, it seems to them to be like one of those freak things,” Gaines said. “Everything was fine and then all of a sudden something happened.
“But these are not just accidents. There is a pattern to them and there’s something we can do to prevent them. It’s not that we don’t want kids to have fun. But injury shouldn’t be an expected part of childhood."
The report includes key recommendations for pediatricians and parents, including:
- Trampolines should be set at ground level whenever possible or on a level surface and in areas cleared of any surrounding hazards.
- Active supervision by adults familiar with the recommendations should occur at all times. Supervising adults should be willing and able to enforce these guidelines. Mere presence of an adult is not sufficient.
- Pediatricians should advise parents and children against recreational trampoline use. Netting and other safety equipment doesn't help reduce injury rates.
- Failed attempts at somersaults and flips frequently cause cervical spine injuries and can result in permanent and devastating consequences.
- Homeowners with a trampoline should verify that their insurance covers trampoline injury-related claims.
- At trampoline parks, remember that their rules and regulations may not be consistent with the AAP guidelines.
- Trampolines used for a structured sports training program should always have appropriate supervision, coaching and safety measures in place.
Click for the complete report on trampoline safety in childhood and adolescence
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That's amazing MSN homepage question about trampolines being considered dangerous that 32% of the responders say they don't consider trampolines dangerous. At the time I answered the question.
Do YOU want to know what is REALLY dangerous for our children...DIABETES and OBESITY and that is one of the things that working out on a trampoline will keep from happening...
It's amazing to me how many people feel the need to engage in hyperbolic all or nothing reasoning suggesting that if parents limit their children's exposure to a dangerous physical activity then the only other option is to let them get fat, watch TV and play video games. Come on people, use some common sense. There are many ways for people of all ages to become seriously injured on a trampoline and it's not just fall off of one. Even without trying to do any tricks, if a person lands just a little bit off, even in the bounciest center part, it's not that difficult to become paralyzed. Why take the risk? There are many other physical activities that tend not to produce such permanent harms if they go wrong. Most of the examples given here are just off. Yes kids can get hurt riding a bike but the proportion of them becoming paralyzed is small. You wouldn't let your kids ride their bikes in traffic when they are young and up the odds would you? So why encourage sports that so easily and often go wrong?
This just in...bikes, skateboards, pogosticks, wrestling, fooftball ,baseball are all dangerous and can cause harm. Banish these activity from the land and lock your children away.
By order of the Burgermeister.
I AGREE COMPLETELY!
I saw a child who had tied his sweater arms around his neck, so he didn't have to carry it. Very dangerous! Could choke him! They should only be allowed one piece bulky clothing that couldn't possibly cause strangulation.
And PADDING on ALL SIDEWALKS!!
I broke my arm while playing soccer and my leg while horse back riding. It should have been forbidden.
Why do you turn a recommendation from a group of doctors that specialize in children into an edict from a Nazi regime? Nobody said anything about outlawing anything. You want a trampoline? Buy two. Nobody is trying to stop you. Don't act like they are.
But some people actually find information interesting. Give us something to consider as we make our own decisions.
Lee,
Seems you are the one making reference to nazis dude. My Burgermeister reference was to the christmas classic Santa Claus is coming to town.
Lighten up.
And if you don't like my sense of humor...too @!$%#ing bad.
Lee, you seem the type that can be scared into anything by any committee of "specialists". Time to start living.
My grandson broke his arm in 2 places when his mom didn't follow the rules and allowed more than one child at a time on the trampoline. On the other hand, his dad broke his leg, as a child, when he fell out of a tree.
I didn't cut down the tree. He climbed the tree for many more years.
A LOT more kids get hurt walking to and from school every day. They get beat up by bullies, hit by cars, abducted, etc. Should we stop sending our kids to school?
There is risk in almost everything kids do!
STOP ALL FOOTBALL! They might get hurt!
Give me a break!
Ok, parents know there is some risk involved with a trampoline. If they didn't already know that, they were pretty stupid.
20 children die each day from a preventable unintentional injury, such as this. Thus, parents need to make educated decisions about their children's health.
Please enlighten us all as to how many FORMER children die from being over weight later in life that started when they were children, sitting in their homes watching tv or playing on the computer with NO exercise and lots of junk food...those children's lives are NEVER healthy or good...but, trampolines, oh no...they might get hurt...THAT'S LIFE
Portia-
If the option were trampolines or childhood obesity, then obviously, let's choose trampolines. But wait, children can play with far more things than trampolines or even play on trampolines in a safer manner that involve exercise.
There is more than one outdoor group activity, many of which are much safer for children.
Are people really just figuring this out now?
When I was a kid, there was one family in the neighborhood that had a trampoline, but they wouldn't let any of the neighborhood kids use it unless we got our parents to sign a permission slip, or waiver, just in case one of us did get hurt.
And I was the kid who's parents wouldn't sign, and I never got to jump on it.
I of course thought that it was a grave injustice at the time, but now I realize both my parents were right for not signing it, and the other kids parents were smart for having such a written policy.
hahahahahahahaha...what did your parents allow you to do?
Anything a child does, produces a likely hood of injury. How many falls from walking? Obesity from sitting too much? Falls up or down stairs? Bicycle wrecks? Running falls? Falling out of the bed? Hell, if your this scared , DON'T HAVE KIDS! there are no guarantees on what your next breathe will do. Everything is risk assessment. If you don't allow your children to learn to judge and assess risks, what will they try as adults?
I actually let my kid jump on a trampoline, but honestly, walking? falling out of bed? Ask an ER doc how many kids they see for injuries like that. If you think walking and jumping on a trampoline carry equal risks, you're not thinking clearly.
We used to toboggan through a bunch of trees, down a big hill...we were lucky we didn't run into several trees...being young means taking chances and risks...yes, some get hurt, but that's life and your parents can't stop ALL bad things from happening to you
My teenage nephew was on a friends trampoline, lost his balance and landed on the ground hands first. Both wrists were broken and needed surgery. Both arms were in casts almost to his shoulders for 8 weeks. His mom had to feed him, bathe and wipe his butt for him. He was never allowed back on the trampoline.
I dont allow any of my kids on them mostly because of injuries I saw when I was a kid.
At least with a bike a kid can wear a helmut and for those complaining about skateboarding...there is safety gear for that as well.
There are so many things that people should worry about like, the environment that kids are raised in. Something I found out that is a little dumb is that the manufacturers of the trampolines use a non-UV protected thread and it rots in about 2 years (at least here in VT) I paid 80 bucks to have a 10 year thread put on that will withstand the weather. If you have never gotten hurt you have never had fun.
play it smart dont load 10 kids in their use the net not made for bigger kids or adults think about it simple as that. the pic shows no net what do you think will happen when they start jumping all over with all those kids duh. like anything else use common sense.
So what if you twisted your ankle? It was worth it.
Ummm.. How about actually watching your kids and enforcing safe play. I don't need anyone imposing any more regulations, rules,or otherwise on me because of someone else's negligence. My kids play on the trampoline- 1 at a time as per safety guide with no bumps or bruises to show. What's next pools are deemed unsafe when filled with water or bycycles are forbidden with wheels??.. c'mon already. The sh!t we played with back in the 70's could have been used in warfare nowadays.. give it a break already. Let kids be kids... just enforce safe play and know what they're doing. Everyone cries when the kids are planted in front of the TV - (A.K.A. the babysitter) and getting overweight.. buy we keep taking away all of the things that make them want to go outside and play. You watch you kids and I'll watch mine, Thank you.
No one is imposing any regulations on you or talking about "outlawing" trampolines. This is simply INFORMATION being offered by doctors who see many injuries related to trampolines.
@ Lee.. Kind of the same way NYC has banned large sodas based on "simply INFORMATION being offered by doctors" ?
and BTW, didn't the Simpsons do an episode about this..?
The most dangerous thing in this country is listening to obama and his media!
Yes, intelligence affects you like a cross affects a vampire. Back into your coffin of stupidity, spud.
But, even more dangerous is having joined the armed forces during the Bush Reign
Activity rating is no place for doctors. It's been proven time and again that some doctors will arbitrarily proclaim activities that most of us have survived are now too dangerous.
Some people survived car accidents before seat belts, but many didn't. Yes, they do have a reason to say this publicly, and I'm glad they do.
That will work. Put your seat belt on before trampolining.
Wii should have this for a game so all can safely play with others at one at a time.
Wrap your kids in bubblewrap (leave a hole so they can breathe now), put them on the sofa, and don't let them move! Ever! And for all that's holy don't let them sniff fresh air or actually get into the sun...there's danger out there!!!!!
I grew up on a horse farm breaking horses. Dirt bikes galore. I now have 5 kids they ride horses, ride bikes, 4 wheel and swim. I am no ninny mama but we will never have a tramp. Why...false sense of security. Sure a kid that grows up with it will know how to use it right but over comes the friend or younger sibling and boom you got a broken arm. I also forbid high diving, and pole vaulting. Horse riding involves risk but kids respect an animal larger than them. Helmets for bikes and so on. I know that all fun involves risk but tramps only signal fun to kids not respect and that is what equals danger not the equipment. AND most parents dont monitor. This is a fact so spare me the protests. I call it the bouncy babysitter.
As if sitting on the couch watching TV or playing the Xbox is so much healthier for kids.
Why is it with a mere 100,000 injuries per year we want to ban trampolines, but with an average of 3.5 million injuries per year (National Center for Sports Safety statistic) in baseball, no one is saying don't play baseball? The most dangerous toy available to children is a bat ball and glove but it never makes the bad toys list at Christmas... Why? Hey, Kids get hurt, they use poor judgement, I'm not advocating you let your kids play with a chainsaw, but just supervise, encourage, patch em up when they get hurt and let them play.
Who is trying to BAN trampolines? No one. This is information being put out by doctors for consideration by parents. Free choice. No banning.
Ok Ban was a bad choice of words... Change "Ban" to "Scare you into not having a". The point is that if you are really looking out for my safety you will warn me about baseball, football, soccer, and bicycles all which have injury rates more than 10 times that of trampolines (NCSS stats).
"But injury shouldn’t be an expected part of childhood." This is absolute nonsense and even denies the basis for the group's stand on the dangers of trampolines. The possibility of injury is present from day one in the human timeline and is the driving factor in allowing children to reach adulthood, where the chance for injury still exists.
I grew up with a trampoline and we had multiple kids jump without the safety nets these days. We fell, got caught between the springs even jumped off the roof to try to go into orbit and no one suffered any neurological damage, just cuts and scrapes. Lucky? maybe, just being kids? you bet!
We have one for our kids today, the big square kind with safety nets and the kids love it, in ten years no one has fallen off or been damaged besides the usual scuffs and scrapes. The problem is attorneys, I spoke to a homeowner’s insurance company the other day and of course the question was asked “do you have a trampoline, pool or a dog?” I stated no and the response was that if we did then we would have to get rid of them. WTF? Next thing it will be no bicycles, skates, motorcycles, trees in your yard and so on! This gets old
So you lied to the insurance company. Nice.
YES, i lied but I also did not subscribe to their policys either, is that a problem?
Screw the insurance companies. Bunch of crooks that take your money and then fight any payouts when events that they insure you for occur.
Agreed! Crooks
It's a miracle I suvived my childhood; I played on trampolines, rode horses, which I had many falls, played with home made skate boards, blah, blah, blah. I'm 57 and I lived to tell about it...
Stupid doctors and stupid parents.
I remember as a kid a friend of mine fell out of a tree and broke his arm. What did the parents do? cut down the tree. They blamed it for breaking their kids arm.
Stupidity has been around us for eons.
After the first time one of my children fell off a trampoline I realized we could not afford it. I sold it and it didn't nearly begin to cover my little girl's medical bills. I thought both my girls would be safe because it had a net on it but she fell off before she ever got through the netting. She spent from 6PM until midnight lying in the emergency room before they ever took her back to the operating room. My oldest daughter who was in the third grade was hysterical and in tears and had to have a neighbor come get her from the ER. She was so upset seeing her sister with her arm deformed and also knew that we could not afford to be paying over $1,000 in medical bills. By then my littlest girl was tired and in so much pain that she begged me to just take her home to sleep. It was September of her kindergarten year and when she had to go back to school two days later she could not do her classwork as she was right handed and she had the cast from the fingers of her right hand up past her elbow. The kindergarten teacher let the other kids fill in her work for her. The hospital was nice enough to let us make 0% interest monthly payments until I had the bill paid off.
All physical activity is dangerous. It's just not as dangerous as sitting around and getting fat.
News Flash - NOT. The backyard trampoline has been well known as the most dangerous backyard equipment after swimming pools since the sixties. The only folks who don't know that just haven't been paying attention.