Yahoo! Life: Keeping Kids Safe Around Workout Equipment
Yahoo! Life, Women's Health, MSN and several other media outlets recently spoke with experts from Cedars-Sinai Kerlan-Jobe Institute about concerns surrounding home treadmill safety after popular fitness equipment brand Peloton recalled its treadmills amid reports that they'd been linked to the death of one child and injuries to more than 70 other children.
Simply telling children to stay away from the equipment isn’t enough to keep them safe, according to pediatric sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon Carlos Uquillas, MD, who spoke with Yahoo! Life. "There is a danger of serious physical harm or even death," he said. "The younger they are, the more you have to take it into your own hands to ensure safety."
Uquillas and other Cedars-Sinai experts recommended a number of measures that treadmill users can take to protect their children–and themselves–from getting hurt.
Sports medicine specialist and orthopedic surgeon Natasha Trentacosta, MD, told Women’s Health that "in general, treadmills are safe if used properly and in the right setting." That means keeping it away from walls, on top of an exercise pad to cushion against falls and in an area that isn’t accessible to children or pets. "Keep it in a locked room or with a gate around it," Trentacosta said in the article, which also was published by MSN.
She also recommended unplugging treadmills when not in use and using the safety key, which cuts the power if the user falls and "will stop the treadmill from spinning."
Click here to read the complete articles from MSN and Yahoo! Life.