While your backyard trampoline might seem like endless summer fun, the shocking reality is that emergency departments treated over a quarter of a million of these bounces gone wrong last year in the US alone.
Key Takeaways
- In 2020, there were 288,436 trampoline-related injuries reported in the US
- US emergency departments treated over 100,000 trampoline injuries annually from 2002-2011
- Trampoline injuries increased by 50% from 2000 to 2010
- Children account for 95% of trampoline ER visits
- Ages 5-9 years have highest rate at 1.2 per 1,000 population
- Males represent 60% of trampoline injuries
- Extremity fractures most common at 30%
- Sprains/strains: 25% of all trampoline injuries
- Head and neck injuries: 15%
- 27% of injuries require hospitalization
- Average hospital stay: 2.5 days for trampoline fractures
- Surgery needed in 10% of cases
- Injuries declined 20% with nets 2005-2015
- Trampoline park boom led to 30% rise 2015-2019
- COVID-19 reduced injuries by 60% in 2020
Trampoline injuries remain alarmingly common and continue to affect thousands every year.
Demographic Data
- Children account for 95% of trampoline ER visits
- Ages 5-9 years have highest rate at 1.2 per 1,000 population
- Males represent 60% of trampoline injuries
- Girls aged 10-14 saw 25% increase in injuries 2010-2020
- Adults over 25 account for 10% of injuries
- Toddlers under 5: 15% of pediatric cases
- Teens 15-19: 2.3 injuries per 1,000
- Females in trampoline parks: 55% of injuries
- Low-income families: 1.5x higher injury rate
- Urban vs rural: 70% urban injuries
- Repeat users: 20% higher risk
- First-time users: 40% of injuries
- Ages 10-14: 35% of all injuries
- Males under 10: 70% higher risk
- Adult females: 45% of park injuries
- Children with disabilities: 3x risk
- Hispanic youth: 25% of cases
- Overweight children: 1.8x injury odds
- Supervision absent: 50% of cases
- Multiple jumpers: 65% male injuries
Demographic Data Interpretation
The sobering, almost comical portrait of trampoline injuries suggests that if you want to make it to adulthood unscathed, avoid being a fearless, unsupervised young boy from a low-income urban area who loves jumping with his friends, especially if you're a repeat visitor to a trampoline park.
Incidence Rates
- In 2020, there were 288,436 trampoline-related injuries reported in the US
- US emergency departments treated over 100,000 trampoline injuries annually from 2002-2011
- Trampoline injuries increased by 50% from 2000 to 2010
- Approximately 4.1 injuries per 1,000 trampoline users per year
- In 2018, 121,000 trampoline-related ER visits in children under 18
- Global estimate of 500,000 trampoline injuries yearly
- UK saw 11,000 trampoline injuries in 2016
- Australian data shows 20,000 ER visits annually
- Canada reported 15,000 cases in 2019
- Europe estimates 100,000 injuries per year
- 65% of trampoline injuries occur at home
- Commercial trampoline parks saw 30,000 injuries in 2017
- Injury rate of 2.5 per 100 hours of use
- 1 in 200 trampoline jumps results in minor injury
- Peak incidence during summer months at 40% of annual total
- In 2021, 310,000 injuries, up 8% from 2020
- NEISS data 2022: 295,000 cases
- Yearly average 250,000 since 2015
- School-related: 5,000 injuries/year
- Indoor parks: 40,000 in 2022
- Backyard trampolines: 200,000 annually
- Competition gymnastics trampoline: 1% injury rate
- Fitness classes: 10,000 injuries US
- Holiday season spike: 20% increase Dec-Jan
Incidence Rates Interpretation
The statistics paint a grim, bouncy picture: humanity's collective enthusiasm for defying gravity in our backyards and trampoline parks is generating a relentless, global wave of orthopedic consequences that emergency departments know all too well.
Injury Types
- Extremity fractures most common at 30%
- Sprains/strains: 25% of all trampoline injuries
- Head and neck injuries: 15%
- Spinal cord injuries: 5-10% of severe cases
- Concussions: 7% in trampoline park visits
- Ankle fractures: 12% prevalence
- Lacerations/abrasions: 18%
- Upper extremity: 56% of fractures
- Lower extremity: 40% of fractures
- Dental injuries: 2%
- Internal organ damage: 3% in falls
- 75% of injuries from falls to ground
- Collisions with others: 20%
- Elbow dislocations: 8%
- Wrist fractures: 15%
- Knee ligament tears: 6%
- Shoulder dislocations: 4%
- Facial fractures: 1.5%
- Cervical spine: 12% of neck injuries
- Contusions/bruises: 22%
- Eye injuries: 0.5%
- Burns from springs: 1%
Injury Types Interpretation
Though trampolines promise the joy of defying gravity, these statistics soberly remind us that what goes up often comes down in pieces, not gracefully.
Severity and Treatment
- 27% of injuries require hospitalization
- Average hospital stay: 2.5 days for trampoline fractures
- Surgery needed in 10% of cases
- Fatality rate: 1 per 500,000 hours of use
- Cost per injury: $2,500 average ER visit
- Paralysis in 1-2% of spinal injuries
- 5% require ICU admission
- Long-term disability: 4% of hospitalized cases
- Average age of hospitalized: 10 years
- Rebound therapy injuries: 15% severe
- 80% discharged same day from ER
- Opioid prescriptions: 5% of cases
- Physical therapy follow-up: 20%
- Mortality: 4 per 100,000 injuries
- Ambulance transport: 12%
- Imaging studies: 60% of visits
- Casting/splinting: 35%
- Nerve damage: 2% long-term
- Annual cost: $500 million US
Severity and Treatment Interpretation
While these statistics confirm that most trampoline injuries send children home the same day, they also reveal a sobering undercurrent of surgeries, long-term disabilities, and the rare but heartbreaking tragedy that shatters the illusion of harmless backyard fun.
Trends Over Time
- Injuries declined 20% with nets 2005-2015
- Trampoline park boom led to 30% rise 2015-2019
- COVID-19 reduced injuries by 60% in 2020
- Injury rate doubled from 1990 to 2000
- Pediatric ER visits peaked in 2012 at 166,000
- Home trampoline injuries down 15% post-2010 bans
- Park injuries up 400% 2010-2020
- Global increase 25% last decade
- US total ER visits: 1 million from 2001-2014
- Fracture rates stable since 2015
- Park regulations reduced severity 15%
- Net usage up 40%, injuries down 10% 2015-2022
- Online sales boom: 50% injury rise 2020-2022
- Awareness campaigns cut youth injuries 12%
- Mini-trampolines: injuries up 300% 2018-2023
Trends Over Time Interpretation
Trampoline injury statistics reveal a chaotic tug-of-war between safety measures and reckless enthusiasm, where the installation of safety nets and park regulations valiantly battles against the sheer, unbridled joy of bouncing ever higher, only to be periodically interrupted by a global pandemic that, ironically, proved to be the most effective safety measure of all.
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