Are safe guards at trampoline parks safe enough?: A case report on a complete spinal cord injury after diving into a trampoline park foam pit

RATIONALE: Recently, commercial indoor trampoline parks have been opened around the globe, and both the number of venues and the park users are increasing. Academic literatures have largely focused on home trampoline related injuries, and less is known about the injuries associated with trampoline parks due to the limited number of studies or cases reported. In this report, we present a complete spinal cord injury sustained at a commercial indoor trampoline park. PATIENT CONCERNS: A 26-year old male developed tetraplegia after plainly jumping on the trampolines and diving into one of the foam pits head first. DIAGNOSIS: C-spine CT revealed bilateral interfacetal dislocation on C6-7, and his C-spine MRI showed anterior translational injury at C6-7 with severe cord encroachment and complete discoligamentous complex disruption. He was diagnosed with complete spinal cord injury. INTERVENTIONS: The patient underwent 30 minutes each of physical therapy and occupational therapy twice a day for a total of 25 days of in-patient rehabilitation. Interventions included tilt table, passive range of motion exercises, functional electrical stimulation, sitting balance training, upper extremity strengthening exercise, and hand manipulation exercises. OUTCOME: Despite intensive rehabilitation and the patient's good spirit, there was no functional change in all physical examinations between evaluations at initial and at discharge. LESSONS: In conclusion, we aim to alert the risks associated with improper use of trampolines, promote safer entertainment environment, and aid in developing mandatory safety measures. We hope to alert the risks associated with improper use of trampolines, promote safer entertainment environment, and aid in developing mandatory safety measures.