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Trampolining craze is leaving children with broken bones, health bosses warn

Indoor trampoline venues in the UK increased dramatically from just three 2014 to around 200 this year
Indoor trampoline venues in the UK increased dramatically from just three 2014 to around 200 this year

A craze for trampolining is leaving children with broken bones, health bosses have warned.

NHS staff attended an average of three injuries a day at indoor trampoline parks in England last year, mainly treating broken bones, sprains, and ligament damage after 1,181 call outs, new figures show.

The number of injuries, the figures indicate, have shot up as indoor trampoline venues in the UK increased dramatically from just three 2014 to around 200 this year.

Pete Brown, from the International Association of Trampoline Parks, told The Daily Telegraph the craze had first come to the UK from America in 2002, and were safe but not a risk free.

"A trampoline is a high risk environment [but] well operated trampoline parks have good training practices and are well built, so the risks are at a reasonable level," he said.

But Donna Brailsford, major trauma nurse coordinator at Sheffield Children's Hospital, told the BBC, which first reported the figures, that the hospital had counted 198 patients with trampoline injuries in the past six months.

Because of the greater size of [indoor trampolines], it is easy for children to bounce onto each other through sheer excitement.

Donna Brailsford

Ms Brailsford said a higher proportion of those treated for fracture had sustained injuries at trampoline parks in comparison with those who sustained injuries while using garden trampolines.

"The audit revealed there is more significant injury from the indoor parks as a result of the kinetic force and gravity associated with those type of trampolines in comparison to the garden ones," she added.

"It is meant to be only one child or adult to each trampoline but I think, because of the greater size of [indoor trampolines] in comparison to garden ones, it is easy for children to bounce onto each other through sheer excitement."