Trampolines are too dangerous, say doctors

As summer approaches in Canada, more children use trampolines and that means more children will suffer serious injuries, say doctors. In a joint statement, the Canadian associations that represent pediatricians and sports doctors say trampolines should not be regarded as play equipment and they should not be used for recreational purposes. This is similar to advice from doctors in the U.S.

Severity of injuries out of proportion

“The problem with trampolines isn’t just that they are inherently unsafe,” says Raj Bhardwaj, a family and urgent care in the western city of Calgary. “The real problem that I think the pediatricians and that I have with trampolines is the severity of injuries that kids get from trampolining. It’s just out of proportion to other activities.” Sprains and broken bones can occur, but more serious are spinal cord and brain injuries.

ListenOne U.S. study found that, of children who were injured playing soccer, 2.5 per cent needed hospital care, while 12.5 of those injured using trampolines needed to go to hospital.

Many ways to get hurt

“It’s quite amazing that people find all sorts of different ways to hurt themselves. And a lot of them film it, so you can actually see things on YouTube,” says Bhardwaj.

For those who think it’s safer when there are spotters around the trampoline, statistics suggest otherwise. It appears that 60 per cent of injuries happen when people land on the trampoline itself and only 30 per cent happen when people fall off of it. A full 80 per cent of injuries happen when more than one person use it at the same time.

Not ‘worth the added risk of severe injury’

Health authorities are very concerned that children in Canada are too sedentary and need to become more active. However, Bhardwaj say they should take up other, safer activities, or just play and run around with other children outside.

“I don’t think that we should be wrapping our kids in bubble wrap, but I also don’t think that trampolines are worth the added risk of severe injury,” he says.

For those who don’t follow doctors’ advice

For those who still insist letting their children use trampolines, he suggests several restrictions:

-only one person on the trampoline at a time

-users must be over six years old

-no flips

-a two-meter perimeter around the trampoline should be padded or have some material like sand to absorb the shock of falls

-the perimeter must be free of trees, furniture, toys or any other obstruction

-adults should supervise

High risk in spite of precautions

There seems to be no difference in the risk between using trampolines at home or in specially designed trampoline parks. Bhardwaj says adult supervision may help enforce the first three measures, but don’t seem to have much effect on the injury rate.