The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that trampoline injuries range from minor bruises to life-threatening injuries and that most injuries occur when users land improperly after a jump, attempt to perform stunts, fall from the trampoline, collide with other users or land on the trampoline frame. According to the Academy, about two-thirds of the injured are children ages 6 through 14. The Academy renewed its 1999 trampoline policy in 2006, advising parents against purchasing trampolines for home use or letting children use trampolines unless they are involved in a training or sports program under professional supervision.
Bruises, Broken Bones and Sprains
The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that bruises, cuts and scrapes are among the most common trampoline injuries. Also included in the most common injuries list are broken bones--many requiring surgery--sprains and strains. The Consumer Product Safety Commission reports that in 1999, 40 percent of trampoline injuries involved legs and feet, followed by arm and hand injuries at 29 percent, and shoulder and trunk injuries at 10 percent.
Head Injuries
Head injuries, including concussions, are also on the common trampoline injuries list. The American Association of Neurological Surgeons reports that 5,919 trampoline users were treated for head injuries in emergency rooms in 2009 and that 5,025 of those injuries were to children 14 years old and younger. Traumatic brain injury--which can cause severe brain damage, coma and death--is the leading cause of sports-related deaths among children and adolescents in the United States. In 1999, head, neck and face injuries accounted for 20 percent of trampoline injuries, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission.
Neck and Spinal Cord Injuries
Neck and spinal cord injuries also are common trampoline injuries, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. These injuries can result in paralysis and death. In 1999, the Consumer Product Safety Commission reported that landing on the neck while performing somersaults was the second most frequent cause of death for trampoline users.
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