With school holidays here and Christmas just around the corner, many parents will be dusting off their old trampolines and researching the latest models. Orthopaedic surgeon, A/Prof Nicole Williams, who specialises in paediatric conditions has researched trampoline injury patterns and put together a list of tips to help keep kids safe this holiday season.
A/Prof Nicole Williams Tips for Trampoline Safety
1. Ensure your trampoline complies with the Australian Standards for trampoline safety.
2. Only allow one user at a time. “Double bouncing”, particularly when there is a size difference between the people on the trampoline is extremely dangerous. Parents should never jump on the trampoline with their children. The amount of energy transferred when an 80 kg adult lands on the trampoline at the same time as a 25 kg child means that the child then hits the trampoline on their next landing with as much force as if they had fallen 2.8 m onto a solid surface.
3. No objects (balls, etc) on the trampoline.
4. Zip them in. More than a quarter of injuries occur when children fall off the trampoline so well-maintained, zipped up netting is important.
5. No acrobatics. Backyard trampolines cause more injuries than trampoline parks (they are more commonly used) but trampoline park injuries are usually more severe and often occurred because people were attempting risky acrobatics. Acrobatics on trampolines should only be performed when supervised by someone with appropriate training.
Learn more about A/Prof Nicole Williams.
To read the article in the Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (journal subscribers only) click the link below.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/jpc.14144