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Trampolines are fun for people of all ages and can provide great health benefits if used correctly. Some exercise classes are centered around bouncing around on a mini trampoline because it’s an excellent way to burn calories quickly while having a blast. Lots of people also enjoy trampolines because they offer a way to be active while having a low impact on their bodies and joints, especially the ankles, knees, hips and spine.
While the positive health benefits are what mainly draws older people to trampolines, kids just like them because they’re fun. These days trampoline parks have made the activity easily accessible to anyone with a couple of bucks to spare and children everywhere are begging their parents to bring them to one. Naturally those parents are inclined to indulge their children because they can jump around for an hour or so, burn off all that extra energy, and pass out quickly later on when they get home.
All the fun and excitement that children have at trampoline parks is the reason why Cortney Moreno decided to celebrate her son Dominic’s ninth birthday at one. She wanted him to have an amazing time and brought him to Sky Zone in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, to jump around and play for a little while. Not more than 30 minutes after they arrived, Dominic was severely injured, his mother wrote on a Facebook post that “Dominic was double bounced by a much older/bigger teenager. The employee of the trampoline park told our son to stand up, as if he could walk off, knowing another kid was still jumping in his square.”
When her son stood up the teenager was still bouncing, which caused Dominic to immediately collapse back down onto the trampoline. He could no longer move and was in immense pain as he was rushed to the hospital in an ambulance. It turned out that he had broken his tibia, both growth plates, and the muscle in his knee had completely flipped over.
What was supposed to be a fun celebration of his birthday had turned into a horrendous nightmare. Dominic’s injuries left him bed ridden for months, completely unable to move and in constant pain. He had to undergo three major surgeries to repair the damage including one where his knee muscle was flipped back into place and secured by a clamp. Months of physical therapy were required for him to learn how to walk again and because his injuries to his growth plates were so severe, he will require x-rays every 6 months until he’s an adult and done growing.
Besides the physical impact it has had on him, there’s also the mental and emotional side as well. Dominic was left feeling helpless, unable to move, play, or go to school. While his friends were free to run around, he had to learn how to walk again and that takes a toll on anyone, especially a young child.
His mother decided to share their story three months after it happened because she doesn’t want this to happen to any other kids and their families. Trampoline parks may seem safe and relatively harmless because they are staffed and have many safety features, but they are far from it. In an instant a child can end up being double bounced like Dominic was and the force from that can snap and easily break bones. Trampolines in and of themselves are dangerous and are one of the main causes of injury to children That is why they should be avoided at all costs.
In the end, Dominic was lucky in that he wasn’t paralyzed or permanently disabled for life. He still has a lot of healing to do and he came out of the whole terrible experience stronger than ever.
Watch the video below for the full story:
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