A Trampoline Can Cause Head and Neck Injury Among Children
Children love to jump and run around. One toy often being used is a trampoline. Although the manufacturers of such as device believe that it is safe, bodies like the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) or the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) do not agree because of the number of head and neck injury cases.
A report in 1998 shows that there were over 95,000 cases where children had to be treated after getting on a trampoline. Four years later, the numbers dropped to 60,000 but the most shocking part is that many of the victims were between the ages of 5 and 14. To date, there have only been 6 fatalities associated with the use of the trampoline.
Here are some of the causes of head and neck injury among children when using a trampoline.
1. The child collided with head to head with another person in mid air.
2. The child did not land on his or her feet and instead had this happen either on the head or neck causing an injury to occur.
3. There have been instances where the kids jumped too high and landed outside the trampoline. Without anything safe to land on, this really has an impact when the child hits the grass or the concrete ground.
4. Defective trampoline springs or frames. Some may argue wear and tear or the child was too heavy but wasn’t this something that was supposed to be tested before this was sold in the market?
Most of the injuries associated with the use of this toy are bruises, cuts, fractures and scrapes. These are only minor but in serious situations, damage either to the head or neck may either result to paralysis or even death.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has pointed out that injury to the spin is rare. But since parents do not know yet the extent of the head and neck injury, it is strongly advised to bring the child to the emergency room for proper examination.
In fact, the AAP has also stressed the following to reduce the number of accidents among children.
1. Trampolines should not be allowed at home. Regardless if there is space inside or outside the house.
2. The same goes for schools. Some institutions still use this as part of the physical education class but since there are other things that can be done, why risk it?
3. The trampoline should not be installed or put up in outdoor playgrounds. This is because no one can stay there the whole time to monitor what is happening.
But if people insist on having the trampoline, safety measures are in order. This includes making sure that thee is a safety pad to cover the steel frames and springs since the child could accidentally land there and get hurt.
The material used on the trampoline must be impact absorbing. Parents should inspect the trampoline before letting the child go in. If there is someone designated to check it in school, he should make sure that springs, safety harnesses and the padding itself are in good condition or replaced with new ones.
Only one person at a time is allowed to it and children below the age of 6 should not be allowed on it.
Getting a head and neck injury at such an early age can ruin the child's life. Measures need to be taken so this never happens.
Head Injury Tip #1
Any injury to the head should be taken very seriously. Otherwise, the injured person could suffer from paralysis or even death if necessary medical treatment is not administered immediately. Without conducting some tests, like x-ray and/or CT scan, the injured or the doctor will not know the extent of the injury.
Head Injury Tip #2
Observe the injured person constantly for additional symptoms that may develop. Document these changes meticulously to help the patient's physician in diagnosing the extent of the brain injury, since onset of symptoms may occur days, weeks or months after the initial injury.
Head Injury Tip #3
Get as much details as soon as possible about the incident that caused the traumatic brain injury. Whatever the cause of the injury - car accident, work-related, working around the house, etc., it will be important to have all the details documented in case the cause of the injury ends up in court.