Research of trampoline injuries reveals that trampolines
are actually a lot safer than many think!
As a responsible parent, you may be concerned about the
safety of trampolining. While no activity is completely risk
free, 1998 statistics show that injuries from trampolining in US
children aged 5 to 14 were less prevalent than injuries from
basketball, baseball, bicycling, football, and soccer.
Research into the cause and type of injuries sustained in
trampoline accidents has also revealed that safety precautions
are often not followed.
For example, a study from a Canadian hospital published in
2003, looked at 80 children that had been injured in the
previous 22 months while using a backyard trampoline. They
report that in "many cases" the trampoline was being used in an
"imaginative" way, including jumping onto the trampoline from a
roof top!
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission and Canadian
Hospital Injury Reporting & Prevention Program report that the
main causes of trampoline injuries in the 1990s were:
- Attempting tricks or flips.
- Colliding with, or landing on, another person on the trampoline.
- Being pushed off the trampoline by another person.
- Landing hard or improperly while jumping or doing stunts.
- Falling off the trampoline and landing on the ground or
a hard object.
- Coming into contact with the springs or frame.
- Jumping off, instead of climbing off, the trampoline.
- Falling onto the trampoline springs or frame and while
attempting somersaults or other stunts.
When used properly, trampolines are a completely safe and fun way to
stay fit! Please follow all
safety recommendations.
