3 min read
Everyone can agree that trampolines are a lot of fun and a great way to get some exercise and fresh air. They are so popular now that trampoline parks are springing up all over the place. Tracy Sarris, Executive Vice-president of the International Association of Trampoline Parks estimates there are 300 trampoline parks worldwide – up 700% from 2012!
But alongside the rise in trampoline parks is also an increase in the number of trampoline related injuries. A recent study estimates the number of injuries from indoor trampoline parks rose from fewer than 600 in 2010 to 6,932 in 2014.
Why Are Trampolines Parks Dangerous?
Trampoline parks are a series of connected trampolines in a room surrounded by padded or trampoline walls. This may lead you to thinking they are a safer option than backyard trampolines. Katherine Leaming-Van Zandt, an emergency medicine physician at Texas Children's Hospital, doesn’t agree. She believes that parents may be lulled into a false peace of mind – thinking that supervision by park employees will keep kids safe.
One of the other major problems with trampoline parks is that often more than one jumper is allowed on a trampoline. Multiple jumpers increase the risk of injuries and collisions and studies have shown that it’s the smaller or lighter of the two jumpers that almost always gets hurt.
Kathryn Kasmire, a pediatric emergency medicine fellow at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center and the University of Connecticut says “Our concern is that there are more serious trampoline injuries [at parks] than on home trampolines.” Almost 9% of trampoline park injuries require hospital admission compared to 5.2% of injuries from backyard trampolines.
Why Are Backyard Trampolines Safer?
With a trampoline right in your own backyard you have control. You can easily limit the number of jumpers on the trampoline at the same time limiting the risk of injury. Plus, all backyard trampolines are required to have a net to catch wayward jumpers. Something all trampoline parks lack.
At Springfree, we have always advocated for one jumper at a time and safety rules. Check out our list of five safe jumping tips to reduce trampoline injuries.
Safety Shouldn’t be an Option
Dr. Keith Alexander redesigned the trampoline from the ground up and made backyard trampolines safe. Our springless design has not only changed the way trampolines work but it has eliminated the impact areas most commonly related to injuries. How did we do this?
No Springs: What? That’s right! Our revolutionary design uses flexible rods instead of springs.
FlexiNet™ Enclosure: Our Flexible safey enclosure prevents falls to the ground and gently guides wayward jumpers back to the jumping surface.
Hidden Frame: We moved the frame underneath where it’s impossible to fall on.
SoftEdge™ Mat: A shock aborbent edge with no hard areas means you can jump right up to the edge without risk of injury.
Jumper safety is at the core of everything we do. So the next time you think about having a party at a trampoline park consider the benefits of a backyard trampoline. Check out all the Springfree Trampoline safety features.
