Trampoline injuries: A jump to the clinic

Abstract

UK trampoline sales increased from 40,000 in 2003 to 120,000 in 2004 and are growing by 50% per year. Eleven thousand and five hundred people in the U.K. presented to hospital with a trampoline related injury in 2002 and this figure is rising per annum. We present our experience of injuries requiring orthopaedic treatment in a district general hospital. Over a 5-month period from June to October, all patients presenting to the orthopaedic fracture clinic at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital for an injury sustained from the use of a trampoline were recorded. Forty-eight patients presented to the orthopaedic clinic. There were 32 males and 16 females. The age range was 2-50 years, average age being 12 years; the median age was 11 years. There were 49 injuries: 27 (55%) upper limb injuries, 20 (41%) lower limb injuries, 1 neck injury and 1 abdominal injury. Fifteen patients were admitted into hospital (31.25%), of these 11 patients required an operation (73% of admitted patients). These 11 patients required 17 operations, Inpatient stay ranged from 1 to 26 days with a median stay of 2 days. Those admitted for observation, analgesia and skeletal traction had an inpatient admission of 1 to 26 days with the median stay being 1 day. One hundred and sixty-one outpatient appointments were made: the average number of visits per patient was 3, range 0-9 visits. Median time from first presentation to discharge from follow-up was 4.5 weeks, range 0-95 weeks. As part of diagnosis and ongoing treatment 114 X-rays were taken, averaging 2 per patient. There were also 2 MRI requests, 4 CT requests and 3 ultrasound requests. There is limited information on the orthopaedic morbidity associated with trampolines. This study highlights the range of injuries requiring specialised orthopaedic treatment in a district general hospital.