Backyard Trampoline Dangers on the Rise:
Serious Injuries Double in a Decade
Reported by Dave Young, News2
July 12, 2007
DENVER (KWGN) — First of all, nobody loved to jump on a trampoline more than I did when I was a kid, but I did it at the local Y, where they had safety equipment and spotters. Nowadays parents just set up that trampoline, without realizing how many things can go wrong. In fact, they seem to spring up in backyards everywhere, with many parents unaware of the risks. Philip Rhoades a father of three kids with a trampoline said, "I know they can be dangerous, but the kids love 'em."
They do love them and with trampolines' increasing popularity over the years comes an alarming climb in very serious injuries. "We seem to see a higher percentage of injuries that ultimately require surgery," said Dr. Gaia Georgopoulos, an orthopedic surgeon at Children's Hospital Colorado in Denver. Today, she's seeing eight-year-old Isabella Quinn, who suffered a complicated fracture while jumping on a neighbor's backyard trampoline last summer. "My leg fell through. I told everyone to get off so I could get off," she said, "and I flipped forward." "We heard her scream," said Kimberly Quinn, Isabella's mom, "Which was pretty horrible and we ran down and you could tell her bone hadn't come out of her skin but there was a big lump." She had to have pins implanted in her leg, where her growth plate was seriously damaged.
Studies show injuries like Isabella's, seen in emergency rooms have doubled during the last ten years or so. That's made Dr. Georgopoulos an outspoken critic. She said, "I don't recommend trampolines at home." For nearly 15 years, in fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics has condemned the use of backyard trampolines. It concludes they should not be used for recreation nor on playgrounds, saying, "Despite all currently available measures to prevent injury, the potential for serious injury while using a trampoline remains."
"The vast majority of trampoline injuries that we see do not occur from falling off the trampoline," said Dr. Georgopoulos, "They occur on the tramp and the primary cause is that there's more than one child jumping at the same time." In fact, she sees more serious injuries from trampolines, than other activities like skiing, skateboarding, rollerblading and cycling combined.
Various industry spokespersons say trampolines offer a "great way to exercise" and that "proper" use, such as one child at a time and "adult supervision" are key to keeping them safe. While trampoline manufacturers do meet all federal safety guidelines, experts warn it's not enough. Safety netting, padding and placing the trampoline on soft ground away from objects can all help but the dangers remain, especially without continous adult supervision.
As for Isabella, her one year checkup brings unwelcome news. Georgopoulos told her mom, "(I'll) See what kind of damage has been done to the growth plate and then we come up with a plan at that time. " She'll require at least two more surgeries. Just one of some 90,000 kids who'll suffer injuries this year including dislocations and broken legs and in some cases, serious head and spine injuries. And by the way, experts say kids under under five should never be on that backyard trampoline.
