According to the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, emergency rooms and surgeons treat hundreds of thousands of trampoline related injuries each year, with the associated medical costs exceeding 4 billion dollars. The most common injuries include broken bones resulting from falls on the mat as well as the frame, collisions with other jumpers, stunts gone wrong, and falls of the trampoline itself. Occasionally severe injuries occur including paralysis and even death. The majority of trampoline injuries occur in the home environment among children ages five to fourteen and when children are unsupervised by parents or other adults. More than half of the injuries occur on the mat of the trampoline and nearly two-thirds of the injuries involve two or more children using the trampoline at the same time. Given the number of injuries encountered by trampoline users, orthopedic surgeons recommend the following guidelines:

• Children should be supervised by competent adults at all times.
• Only one participant on the trampoline at a time.
• Somersaults or high-risk maneuvers should be avoided without proper supervision and without a spotter being present.
• The equipment should be on level ground.
• Children under six years should not be on trampolines.
• Safety net enclosures give a false sense of security, as most injuries occur on the trampoline surface.
• Make sure trampoline ladders are removed after use to prevent unsupervised access by young children.

For more information visit the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeon’s website.