Trampoline parks tied to jump in emergency room visits

As trampoline parks are becoming morecommon in the U.S., so are emergency room visits for injuriesthat happen at these recreational facilities, a new studysuggests.

"I don't think trampoline park injuries are increasingbecause they are especially dangerous compared to hometrampolines, but rather because of their growing popularity andthe increasing number/availability of these facilities," saidlead study author Dr. Kathryn Kasmire, a researcher atConnecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford.

From 2010 to 2014, the average annual number of emergencyroom visits for trampoline injuries was close to 92,000. Thevast majority happened at home but injuries at trampolineparks surged more than 10-fold during the study period. In 2014,injuries at trampoline parks accounted for almost 7,000emergency room visits, the study found.

In Canada, 4,247 cases of trampoline injuries treated in the emergency departments of 15 hospitals in the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP)were reported between 2005/06 and 2009/2010.

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In the U.S., the number of trampoline parks surged from about40 in 2011 to 280 in 2014, researchers note in the journalPediatrics.

An estimated five to six new parks open each month, andthere were probably about 450 nationwide by the end of lastyear. The facilities are also becoming popular in Canada.

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To assess how the surge in trampoline parks is influencinginjuries, researchers examined data from a nationwide registryof injuries. They excluded data from gymnastics or competitivetrampoline injuries, as well as from sports facilities thatoffer a variety of recreational sports rather than justwall-to-wall trampolines.

With home injuries, the average age was close to 12, about ayear younger than the typical age of people hurt at trampolineparks, the study found.

Children 6 to 17 injured most

Children ages 6 to 17 accounted for the majority of injuriesat home and at trampoline parks.

Sprains and fractures were the most common trampolineinjuries, regardless of location. But sprains were 61 percent
more likely at trampoline parks.

Dislocated joints were more than twice as likely to occur attrampoline parks as at home, the study found.

At trampoline parks, fractures were much more common inyounger children than in teens and adults, accounting for almosthalf of injuries for kids under 6. Younger children were lesslikely than older teens and adults to sustain sprains, however.

One limitation of the study is that researchers lackedcomplete data on the location of every injury, which the authors
conclude may mean they underestimated the number of emergencyroom visits tied to trampoline parks.

Another shortcoming is the lack of data on how often peopleused trampoline parks, which made it impossible to calculate aninjury rate based on the number of hours or episodes ofparticipation, the authors also note.

Even so, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommendsagainst recreational trampoline use due in large part to theinjury risk. When trampolines are used for fun, kids should haveconstant adult supervision and adequate protective padding, andthere should be just one jumper at a time, the AAP recommends.

Avoid flips, somersaults

Kids should also avoid flips and somersaults, the doctors groupadvises.

"Trampolines were originally developed as a device for useby acrobats, gymnasts, fighter pilots, etc. they were never
intended to be used as a backyard toy," said Dr. Gary Smith,lead author of the AAP recommendations on trampolines andpresident of the Child Injury Prevention Alliance in Columbus,Ohio.

If a child would like to use a trampoline, it should bedone at a gym with a trained instructor who can safely progressthe child through maneuvers as the child gains skills," Smith,who wasn't involved in the study, added by email.

Even with supervision, trampoline parks might be moredangerous because kids have a better chance of crashing intoeach other, noted Dr. Sean Bandzar of Weill Cornell MedicalCollege in New York.

"Trampoline parks may be inherently more dangerous becausechildren are able to jump from trampoline to trampoline
throughout the park and bump into other children," Bandzar, whowasn't involved in the study, said by email. "Research hassuggested that approximately three-quarters of injuries occurredwhen multiple people were using one trampoline at a time."

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