By LAURA GEGGEL
Trampoline injuries, which rose steadily through the middle of the last decade, appear to be on the downswing, according to a new study in the journal Pediatrics that looked at trampoline-related emergency room visits. But the drop in injuries appears to be a result of a decrease in trampoline sales rather than greater awareness of the dangers of trampolines and safer use, the authors said, and the American Academy of Pediatrics continues to advise against recreational trampoline use, a position it has taken since 1977.
Nearly 98,000 people were injured on trampolines in 2009, 3,100 of them seriously enough to be hospitalized, according to study data from the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System, which collects emergency room information in select hospitals and uses it to estimate nationwide injury rates. That represents an injury rate of about 32 injuries per 100,000 people, compared with 38 injuries per 100,000 in 2004.
The most common injuries were sprains, strains, fractures, bruises and soft-tissue injuries. Though less common, head and neck injuries were the most serious, and accounted for more than 10 percent of all trampoline-related E.R. visits.
“It’s not a toy,” said Susannah Briskin, one of the lead authors of the new study and an assistant professor of pediatrics in the division of sports medicine at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital in Cleveland.
Children fared the worst, specifically those younger than 6, who account for more than one-third of all trampoline injuries, said Dr. Michele LaBotz, another author of the study and a physician at InterMed Sports Medicine Clinic in Portland, Me. Fractures and dislocations are particularly common in children of this age, since their bones are softer, she said.
“The biggest at-risk population is the smallest person on the trampoline,” Dr. Briskin reiterated. She advised parents to enforce a one-person, one-trampoline rule, since three-fourths of injuries occur when multiple jumpers play together.
Other safety rules include using safety pads on the trampoline’s frame, which can soften falls; adult supervision; discouraging flips or somersaults to guard against head and neck injuries; and removing ladders from trampolines so small children can’t climb onto them.
Mark Publicover, founder and president of the trampoline manufacturer JumpSport, based in San Jose, Calif., said increasing use of safety nets around trampolines may have contributed to the falling injury rate, though experts caution that data is scarce regarding the use of purported safety equipment and its effects on injury rates and patterns. Mr. Publicover also notes that nets have a warranty of about three years, while trampolines last an average of seven years, and owners are not always diligent in replacing them. An earlier study done in part by Springfree Trampolines, a New Zealand company, found that falls off the trampoline have stayed constant during the past two decades, accounting for about 28 percent of all trampoline injuries.
The latest report was the first to differentiate between recreational backyard trampolines and those used in competitive sports — by athletes who train on trampolines for gymnastics, diving, skiing, snowboarding and cycling, for example. Unlike earlier statements, the new American Academy of Pediatrics statement endorses trampoline training so long as it is part of a structured program that uses appropriate coaching and safety measures like belts or harnesses.
Modern trampolines entered the popular realm after a competitive gymnast, George Nissen, patented the “tumbling device” in 1945. Since then, pediatric and orthopedic groups have issued six statements discouraging their recreational use.
Less data is available about the safety of commercial trampoline parks, but the authors of the current report urged jumpers to treat them with the same caution as home trampolines.