What Are the Dangers of Owning a Trampoline? [POLL]

Do any of these bouncy terms ring a bell to you? "Double Bounce," "Crack the Egg" or "Power House" -- when I was around 8 years old I learned those terms one summer at a girlfriends house on her Trampoline.

I was not allowed to go on the  "tramp thing" as my mother called it, she was worried that I would fly off and break an arm.

My first time on the "tramp thing," I did get double bounced and flew off with in five minutes of getting on it! I never told my mother that. I was so scared after that I never got back on that tramp.

I don't allow my son on a Trampoline with out me watching him and we don't have a "tramp thing" at our house.

I went online the other day and found out some crazy information about trampolines! According to an updated policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) their risks outweigh their benefits.

In fact, the AAP is now discouraging any home use of trampolines:

Pediatricians need to actively discourage recreational trampoline use,” said Dr. Michele LaBotz. “Families need to know that many injuries occur on the mat itself, and current data do not appear to demonstrate that netting or padding significantly decrease the risk of injury.

In 2009, there were 98,000 trampoline-related injuries with 3,100 resulting in hospitalization. Seventy-five percent of these injuries occurred when there was only one person using the trampoline.

According to the AAP, trampolines should only be used in training for a specific sport, while under the supervision of a coach. And even then they are still suspicious of trampolines, suggesting that any facility that houses such equipment should be heavily regulated.

[Time]