Pediatricians Warn Against Dangers of Home Trampolines

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has issued a statement strongly discouraging the use of recreational trampolines at home.

According to a Reuters article, in 1999 the AAP recommended stronger safety measure to help prevent injuries on recreation trampolines, and manufacturers responded by adding safety nets and padding.

The article quoted Dr. Susannah Briskin, who helped draft the updated statement, as saying, "As best we can tell, the addition of safety nets and padding has actually not changed the injuries we have seen."

Statistics cited in the article show that while from the number of injuries has been dropping – from 111,851 cases treated at ERs in 2004, to 97,908 in 2009 – Briskin cautioned that, "Even though there has been a decrease in injuries - I caution people against taking that too literally because the number of trampolines has also decreased."

AAP statistics show that head and neck injuries make up 10-15 percent of all injuries and that about 1 in 200 trampoline injuries result in permanent neurological damage.

The AAP offers some safety tips to help make trampoline usage safer:

• Check to see that your insurance policy covers trampoline-related claims.
• Make sure the mat is used one at a time.
• Have effective padding around springs and frame.
• Place the trampoline on level ground.
• Avoid somersaults and flips.
• Actively supervise kids.

Do you have a trampoline? Would you get one? Tell us in comments.