‘Dangerous’ trampolining to blame for half of A&E child activity injuries, study says

Activity causes broken bones in children with frequency of injuries at trampolining centres ‘rising dramatically’

Trampolining is to blame for half of all activity-related A&E admissions in under-14s, according to a study (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Trampolining is to blame for half of all activity-related A&E admissions in under-14s, according to a study.

The report, published in the British Medical Journal (BMJ)’s Injury Prevention journal, concluded “trampolining is fun but potentially dangerous” after analysing 1.4 million trampolining injuries from around the world.

Researchers found children were twice as likely to suffer broken bones or sprains when using trampoline centres rather than home trampolines.

“Children using trampoline centres are more likely to suffer severe trauma and require surgical intervention than children using home trampolines,” the report said.

However cuts, concussions and arm injuries were more common on trampolines at home – potentially because trampoline parks have safety features such as padded walls.

The study suggested the average cost to the NHS to treat a child admitted for trampoline injuries is £905.

It pointed to analysis of 71 patients who presented to the Royal Surrey County Hospital emergency department from July 2014 to November 2015 with injuries that occurred in a single commercial trampoline centre.

Researchers believe injuries sustained at trampoline centres could be more severe because “the higher tensile strength used in commercial trampoline centres may produce a harder bounce which amplifies the loading in bones and ligaments”.

The frequency of injuries sustained at these centres was also “rising dramatically”, they added.

The University of Sydney study said: “Trampolining is a popular form of recreation and trampolines are among the most common gifts to school age children and pre-adolescents.

“However, trampolining poses a significant risk of injury, which accounts annually for nearly 100,000 paediatric emergency visits in the USA.

“Trampoline injuries explain 50 per cent of admissions to emergency departments in children under 14 years of age in the UK.

“In Australia, almost 15,000 children were hospitalised for trampoline injuries between 2002 and 2011.

“Injury surveillance systems, which use hospital admission data as a proxy of injury severity, have concluded that trampoline-related injuries lead to more hospitalisations than injuries suffered in other sports or recreational activities.”