What parent doesn’t remember the carefree feeling of swinging upside down, with your knees hooked over the monkey bars? It’s almost an iconic image of what it means to be a child.
But a recent study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that more kids than ever across the country are suffering severe head injuries every year after falling off some type of playground equipment.
“Up until about the age of 10, kids are head-heavy,” says Lisa Schwing, trauma program manager at Dayton Children’s Hospital. “Their head is the heaviest part of their body, and proportionately bigger to their body size than an adult’s. Because of this, if they fall, they are always going to go headfirst, leading to a higher likelihood of head injuries.”
This study showed falling off monkey bars and swings to be the most common cause of an injury that sent kids to an emergency department across the country. Dayton Children’s emergency department is also seeing about a 20 percent increase in playground injuries from 2014 to 2015, but the data shows a different culprit — trampolines. More than 1,000 kids came to Dayton Children’s emergency department last year after hurting themselves on a trampoline
“There is a great deal of energy generated on a trampoline,” explains Schwing. “Especially if you have two children on at the same time. The bigger one lands and pushes the material down and as the smaller child then comes down, the material rebounds, catapaulting that child at a rate greater than he or she could have generated on their own.”
So while trampolines may not be the best outdoor activity, parents can’t and shouldn’t ban kids from the playground. “Kids need play time, especially physical outdoor play time,” agrees Schwing. “The best thing parents can do is select a playground that has a good surface- rubber matting, wood chips, etc. - something that will cushion the fall more than concrete or grass. Second, supervision is essential, especially for younger kids who may be wobbly on climbing stairs or swinging.”
The study also suggests the rise in injuries may be from increasing number of children on playgrounds or the growing awareness of how dangerous a head injury, or concussion, can be – leading to more emergency department visits to check out the symptoms. It’s also important to point out that most of the children seen for a playground injury in this study did not have to be admitted to the hospital.
It’s always safe to get your child evaluated if you suspect a concussion. Symptoms include headache, dizziness, loss of consciousness, vomiting, exhaustion, memory loss or a change in personality.
About the Author