Half of all A&E admissions for activity-related injuries amongst under-14s are due to trampolining, new research suggests.
A report published in the BMJ’s Injury Prevention journal analysed 1.4 million trampolining injuries from across the globe and concluded that “trampolining is fun but potentially dangerous”.
The activity was found to account for a high proportion of broken bones in children, reported The Times.
"Children using trampoline centres are more likely to suffer severe trauma and require surgical intervention than children using home trampolines," the report said.
It costs the NHS £905 to treat a child admitted for trampoline-related injuries, according to analysis of 71 patients admitted to A&E in Surrey.
Researchers also found that injuries sustained on trampolines in public parks tended to be more severe. They said this was because “the higher tensile strength used in commercial trampoline centres may produce a harder bounce”, resulting in more pressure being put on bones during bouncing.
Young people visiting trampoline parks were twice as likely to sustain broken bones or sprains and muscle strains as opposed to those using trampolines at home. In addition, surgical intervention was nearly twice as likely for those who sustained breakages at a trampoline centre.
Cuts, concussions and arm injuries were more common on trampolines at home compared to trampoline parks, experts said, chalking the difference up to the safety features found at trampoline parks including padded walls.
The unique injury trend also appeared to be a global phenomenon, with the BMJ study finding that trampolining accounts for nearly 100,000 child emergency room visits per year in the US. Similarly, in Australia trampoline-related injuries were the reason for 1,500 children being admitted to hospital every year between 2002 and 2011.
