Injuries in children associated with trampolinelike air cushions

During a 7-month period, we registered 112 children who had been injured in an amusement park. Despite the large number of other playground apparatuses, 78 injuries were associated with jumping on three giant air cushion trampolinelike apparatuses. Moreover, the air cushions caused a significantly larger number of severe and moderate injuries than did other apparatuses (p less than 0.01). Thirty-one percent of the injuries were fractures or growth plate lesions. Seventy percent of the children explained that they had either been pushed or had lost their balance because of the constantly changing rhythm of the canvas. We therefore warn against this trampolinelike apparatus.