Motivational speaker Denis Waitley said, “[l]ife is inherently risky. There is only one big risk you should avoid at all costs, and that is the risk of doing nothing.” This quote can easily apply to trampoline parks. Last weekend, we were invited to a birthday party at a trampoline park. The trampoline park is private and family-owned, but very similar to the large franchise parks. It has all the main attractions: a skyslam, sky joust, large foam zone pits, and obstacle courses. While I knew this would be a fun first experience for my children, I couldn’t help but wonder, “are trampoline parks safe for kids?”
In the past, friends have sent me social media posts that appeared to be made by parents of children who were cautioning about the dangers of trampoline parks. In these posts, the parents recounted instances where their child suffered severe injuries at a trampoline park and provided x-rays as evidence. A few of the injuries particularly stood out – one involving a broken ankle and another a broken femur. The parents asserted that doctors advised against trampoline parks for young children, citing the incomplete development of their bones and the likelihood of injury. However, these posts failed to explain how the injuries occurred. Was it due to an improper landing? Was the trampoline negligently maintained? Or, did another child’s actions cause the injury through collision? This curiosity lingered as we planned to visit the trampoline park.
Danger Zone?
If you do a cursory search about how safe trampoline parks are, you will find various news articles and personal injury attorney blogs warning of the dangers associated with the parks. Most articles point out there has been a dramatic rise in injuries over the last decade that is attributed to trampoline parks. This 2019 news article states that emergency room visits due to trampoline park injuries increased by nearly 1,100 percent from 2010 to 2014. However, the rise in injuries can easily be explained because of the staggering rise in the number of trampoline parks in the last decade. More kids jumping = more injuries. Trampoline parks are a big business and getting bigger.
A Closer Look
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there is evidence that recreational center trampoline related fractures have increased by 3.85% from 2008 – 2017. According to Rates of Pediatric Trampoline Fractures are Jumping: A National Report (2008-2017), researchers found that every year during the study it was 32% more likely that a child’s trampoline-related bone fracture occurred at a recreation facility or gym, rather than on a trampoline in the backyard or otherwise attached to a home. Research showed that trampoline-related fractures accounted for 3.59% of pediatric fractures in 2008. By 2017, trampoline injuries caused 6.16% of all broken bones in children.
When expressed as a percentage of all fractures, trampoline fractures accounted for 3.75% of all U.S. pediatric fractures during the study period. Upper extremity fractures were the most common injury sited, accounting for 56% of trampoline fractures.
On the other hand, this abstract from Trampoline Park Injury Trends looked closer at how common and how serious trampoline park injuries were. At the link above, you will see the video summary of the findings presented by one of the authors of the study, associate professor and pediatric surgeon Warrick Teague Director of Trauma, Clinical Lead for Burns, and Academic Pediatric Surgeon at The Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne. In the study, data was provided by 3 trampoline park operators, in 18 safety standard parks, in Australia and the middle east, from 2017 – 2019. Measures of exposure in terms of jumper hours and reported injuries was used to calculate “exposure-adjusted injury rates” – this was a first. Injuries were split into two categories: minor and significant (jumper ends up ambulance, emergency room, or operating room). Here are the conclusions:
- There were 13,256 injuries over 8,387,178 jumper hours.
- 1 in 10 injuries were significant.
- 14 injuries per 1000 jumper hours.
- 11 significant injuries per 1000 jumper hours.
- Injuries occurred at a rate of 1.14 injuries per 1000 jumper hours.
- Significant injuries occurred at a rate of 0.11 injuries per 1000 jumper hours.
- There was a down trend in injuries over the period of the study.
- Significant injuries appear to be rare and uncommon.
- Exposure adjusted injury rates at trampoline parks compared favorably with other Australian sports such as rugby, netball and tennis.
Our Experience
Before we were allowed to enter the play area, I was required to sign waivers for myself and my children. The waivers were lengthy and I agreed to resolve a dispute through arbitration. I am not going to get into the legality of the waivers or provide any legal advice about the waivers here.
Once we got on to the play area, my son was literally jumping off the walls – no joke. He spent a couple of hours jumping on trampolines and shooting hoops. When he wasn’t shooting hoops, he raced back and forth, with other kids, on the elongated trampolines and crashed into the trampoline like walls. He played for almost 4 hours and was completely exhausted when it was time to leave.
My daughter who is 2 1/2 enjoyed the trampolines and the foam pits. She enjoyed jumping off the mini-platform diving board, into the foam. She was also exhausted when it was time to leave.
I had a blast bouncing with my kids. I jumped on the trampolines, pushed my kids into the foam pits and raced with my son across the play area.
Despite all the fun, there were several times I stopped and observed all the kids jumping and playing. It was very easy to imagine a horrific accident happening. All the kids were randomly jumping sky high. One was bound to land wrong or two kids could collide. It was just a matter of time.
When the party was over, I was surprised there wasn’t at least some type of injury.
We made it out safe. By the time we got back to our hotel, my kids crashed hard.
Fun To Try
I am glad we went to the trampoline park – it was lovely to see my kids play and have fun. I would go back again for a birthday or if invited for another event. However, I definitely would not make it a regular activity. Like any activity, trampoline parks pose an inherent risk. If you choose to go to a trampoline park just make sure you keep a watchful eye over your children to try and reduce the likelihood of injury. Good luck.