The number of children injuring themselves on trampolines is on the rise because parents are ignoring manufacturer safety advice, according to doctors at Kingston Hospital.
More than half of the 131 children treated for trampoline injuries by the hospital’s accident and emergency department last summer were using them without nets or adult supervision - some resulting in “life-changing” injuries.
Incredibly, when doctors made follow up calls to the patients they found 97 per cent of the injured children had continued to use the same trampoline - some while they were still recovering from their injuries.
Writing in the Emergency Medical Journal, the doctors stressed the need for parents to be more aware of the dangers.
Lead researcher Dr Dan Harris said he was surprised by how significant some of the injuries were.
He said: “It’s difficult because I can see lots of trampolines in gardens in the Kingston area and clearly only a small percentage of the children are getting injured, but some of those injuries are life-changing fractures which will cause continual joint problems.”
Dr John Heyworth, of the College of Emergency Medicine, said the popularity of trampolines seemed to have exploded in recent years, with the number of injuries from them around the UK continuing to rise.
He said: “Parents need to make sure the fun is harmless – it’s common sense – follow the recommended guidelines and children can still let off steam safely.”
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