Youth Trampoline Injuries More Severe at Sports Center Than at Home

TUESDAY, June 14, 2022 (HealthDay News) — Child and adolescent injuries sustained at trampoline centers are more likely to be severe than injuries on home trampolines, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published online June 13 in Injury Prevention.

Carlos Nunez, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the University of Sydney, and colleagues conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies evaluating injury risks sustained on trampolines at home versus in trampoline centers. Injury type, site, and treatment were evaluated.

Based upon 11 studies (1.39 million injuries), the researchers found that there was an increased likelihood of musculoskeletal and/or orthopedic injuries (odds ratio, 2.45), lower extremity injury (odds ratio, 2.81), sprains (odds ratio, 1.64), and a need for surgery (odds ratio, 1.89) at trampoline centers versus home trampolines. However, upper extremity injury (odds ratio, 0.49), concussion (odds ratio, 0.48), and lacerations (odds ratio, 0.46) were less likely to occur at trampoline centers versus home trampolines.

“Considering the rapid global expansion of the commercial trampoline industry in the last decade, the increasing injury rates and the cost to health systems, the development and implementation of evidence-based safety standards and preventative strategies and public awareness campaigns are urgently required,” the authors write. “Additionally, we recommend that future studies should attempt to adjust for potential confounding factors.”

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