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Are trampolines dangerous for children?
In many gardens there is a trampoline for children. Many an injury can be attributed to this sports equipment. However, if you pay attention to a few things, you can really enjoy bouncing on them.
Jasmin Altrock
May 18, 2023, 14:55
Children want to move. They kick the soccer ball, play catch or jump on the trampoline. That's fun for them - besides, daily and above all varied exercise is essential for growing up. It promotes coordination skills, body awareness and also the sense of balance. What's more, the little ones get a lot of energy out of it. And quite honestly, parents are also happy when their offspring fall into bed tired in the evening and go straight to sleep. To avoid the hassle of having to drive somewhere, many families have the trampoline in their own backyard - in the countryside, you get the feeling that people are bouncing on almost every meadow in front of the house.
At first glance, such an outdoor trampoline also brings many advantages. Once it's set up, you hardly have any work to do with it, the kids have a blast, and they get some exercise in the fresh air. But trampolining also carries some risks. Figures from the Robert Koch Institute in Germany show that it is one of the most common sources of accidents associated with a piece of sports equipment among children between the ages of three and six. But even the older ones are not immune to injuries. Among eleven- to 13-year-olds, one in three sports injuries is attributable to a trampoline.
Start slowly
But that doesn't have to be the case. To ensure that the bouncing fun doesn't end up in the hospital, parents can pay attention to a few things. First and foremost, age plays an important role, explains pediatric orthopedist Ulrich Scheibl from Vienna: "I would recommend such a trampoline only for children from the age of six. The coordinative abilities are only from this age so far that the risk of injury decreases significantly." That doesn't mean that the younger ones can't try it out, but then it's advisable that an adult always stands by the trampoline and watches over it.
But even the older kids shouldn't just jump wildly on it. Scheibl says: "It often happens that kids, especially when the trampoline is new, jump all over the place for two hours. That can lead to back pain and other complaints even in children already." The reason: the untrained back muscles are overstrained by the unaccustomed bouncing motion. Nevertheless, the orthopedist can reassure in this case: "In children, no permanent damage is to be expected as a result. You just have to remember that trampolining is also a workout that stresses the muscles. And with any workout, you should start slowly." Around 20 minutes is ideal to start.
Don't forget to warm up
To minimize the risk of injury, only one child at a time should jump on the trampoline alone. And parents should also exercise restraint. "I've also seen adults jumping together with the kids fall on the child's arm and it was then broken," says the expert. According to Scheibl, the most common causes of accidents caused by the trampoline include broken bones, concussions and bruises. It's also important to make sure everything is secured as well as possible, he says. "I definitely recommend a trampoline that has netting all the way around to protect against falling out. A lot of broken bones occur because kids fall off a high trampoline."
Despite all the dangers, the pediatric orthopedist stresses that trampoline training does have positive effects. "I resisted it for a long time, but now we also have such a device in the garden. If you use it regularly, joint mobility improves, posture becomes more upright because the back muscles are strengthened, and children's coordination and balance are also trained in a fun way." If you then do a little warm-up program with your kids, you can further reduce the risk of injury. (Jasmin Altrock, 5/18/2023)
Source (derstandard.at) | Archive
Jasmin Altrock
May 18, 2023, 14:55
Children want to move. They kick the soccer ball, play catch or jump on the trampoline. That's fun for them - besides, daily and above all varied exercise is essential for growing up. It promotes coordination skills, body awareness and also the sense of balance. What's more, the little ones get a lot of energy out of it. And quite honestly, parents are also happy when their offspring fall into bed tired in the evening and go straight to sleep. To avoid the hassle of having to drive somewhere, many families have the trampoline in their own backyard - in the countryside, you get the feeling that people are bouncing on almost every meadow in front of the house.
At first glance, such an outdoor trampoline also brings many advantages. Once it's set up, you hardly have any work to do with it, the kids have a blast, and they get some exercise in the fresh air. But trampolining also carries some risks. Figures from the Robert Koch Institute in Germany show that it is one of the most common sources of accidents associated with a piece of sports equipment among children between the ages of three and six. But even the older ones are not immune to injuries. Among eleven- to 13-year-olds, one in three sports injuries is attributable to a trampoline.
Start slowly
But that doesn't have to be the case. To ensure that the bouncing fun doesn't end up in the hospital, parents can pay attention to a few things. First and foremost, age plays an important role, explains pediatric orthopedist Ulrich Scheibl from Vienna: "I would recommend such a trampoline only for children from the age of six. The coordinative abilities are only from this age so far that the risk of injury decreases significantly." That doesn't mean that the younger ones can't try it out, but then it's advisable that an adult always stands by the trampoline and watches over it.
But even the older kids shouldn't just jump wildly on it. Scheibl says: "It often happens that kids, especially when the trampoline is new, jump all over the place for two hours. That can lead to back pain and other complaints even in children already." The reason: the untrained back muscles are overstrained by the unaccustomed bouncing motion. Nevertheless, the orthopedist can reassure in this case: "In children, no permanent damage is to be expected as a result. You just have to remember that trampolining is also a workout that stresses the muscles. And with any workout, you should start slowly." Around 20 minutes is ideal to start.
Don't forget to warm up
To minimize the risk of injury, only one child at a time should jump on the trampoline alone. And parents should also exercise restraint. "I've also seen adults jumping together with the kids fall on the child's arm and it was then broken," says the expert. According to Scheibl, the most common causes of accidents caused by the trampoline include broken bones, concussions and bruises. It's also important to make sure everything is secured as well as possible, he says. "I definitely recommend a trampoline that has netting all the way around to protect against falling out. A lot of broken bones occur because kids fall off a high trampoline."
Despite all the dangers, the pediatric orthopedist stresses that trampoline training does have positive effects. "I resisted it for a long time, but now we also have such a device in the garden. If you use it regularly, joint mobility improves, posture becomes more upright because the back muscles are strengthened, and children's coordination and balance are also trained in a fun way." If you then do a little warm-up program with your kids, you can further reduce the risk of injury. (Jasmin Altrock, 5/18/2023)
Source (derstandard.at) | Archive
. De León (2012) records an episode from her Zinacantecan site where a three-year-old boy nearly runs, barefoot, through a fire. Adults do not react sympathetically. Instead, they comment that the child is flawed in not developing awareness of its surroundings, not paying close attention, and not figuring things out.”
