Trampoline Troubles

Backyard trampolines are popular, but beware, medical experts say.

Thousands of children are rocketing skyward, and trampoline injuries are also on the rise. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, the number of children treated in hospital emergency rooms after trampoline accidents jumped from 32,500 in 1990 to 110,000 in 2004, the latest statistics available.

This rate is so alarming that    the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has taken a firm position. "The trampoline should never be used in home or recreational settings," the group says.

"There are more than a half-million trampolines sold in the U.S. each year now," says Gary A. Smith, M.D. Dr. Smith is a member of the AAP member and author of several studies on trampoline injuries. He adds that in many of the injuries the parents were right there, watching.

The majority of injuries are to arms and legs. Back and neck injuries can cause serious neurological damage.

"When a small child and a larger one use a trampoline simultaneously, the smaller one is easily injured by the mat coming up with great force," explains R. Dale Blasier, M.D., a spokesman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Most injuries occur on the trampoline, not from flying off of it, says Dr. Smith. Safety nets and shock-absorbing pads that cover the springs, hooks, and frame may help prevent some injuries.