Summertime is playground time, and, especially at a time when growing childhood obesity has led to more exercise programs for youngsters, summer also means playground injuries, News Radio 1200 WOAI reports.
"Monkey bars are very significant sources of injuries," says Dr. Christian Balldin, a sports medicine expert at the San Antonio Orthopaedic Group. "The childen climb the monkey bars and fall off, and end up with various injuries, be it broken arm, broken elbow."
Some 200,000 kids will remember the summer of 2017 as that time they had to go to the ER for a painful playground injury.
Dr. Balldin says while it is critical for kids to get that outdoor activity that keeps them healthy, and children can't be encased in bubble wrap, there are some things parents can watch for.
He says the most common cause of injury is when kids are participating in activities which are too advanced for their age, mainly when they are climbing too high on sports equipment or jumping too high on the trampoline.
"If your child is very young, and they are climbing very high on the playground equipment, you should help them get down in a safe manner," he said.