DUBAI // Ooooh, a trampoline. That looks fun – just like when we were children.
On the other hand, for the less agile among us trying to relive the rough and tumble of youth, perhaps not. Doctors and physiotherapists report a surge in the number of people seeking treatment for twisted knees, sprained ankles, pulled muscles and worse after enthusiasm got the better of common sense.
Venues such as the Bounce trampoline park, the Circus School Dubai and the Jump Boxx gymnastics centre are part of a new trend for energetic sports that has sprung up in the past year. They are not without risk.
Bouncing on a trampoline, “you jump two metres in the air and one bad land can mean rupturing your knee in one go”, said Dr Gustavo Reque Rydberg, sports doctor at the Up and Running Dubai clinic.
In the past two months, the clinic has treated four people with ruptured knees and one youngster who suffered a sprain in the thoracic spine, resulting in two months of immobility.
Many others needed treatment for wrist and ankle sprains after visiting one of the clubs.
Dr Rydberg acknowledges it is a difficult for staff at these venues to make sure people play safe. “People just want to go in and jump so it’s very difficult to assess the technical ability and then limit someone.”
Physiotherapist Darren Stanborough said the problem was a lack of screening of customers beforehand. “I don’t think they do any kind of screening for previous injury.”
Greg Campbell, experience manager at Bounce, said the venue mostly treats minor injuries, such as rolled ankles.
“Most injuries are from people jumping outside their skill level, We make Bounce accessible for everybody but some people are reckless, which is what our referees are there for. We can’t monitor every single jump but our staff do intervene if they see someone trying something they might not be able to do.”
The venue has a “free jumping area” with trampolines on the floor and walls with rebound surfaces and frames covered in padding. To make the experience as safe as possible, only one person is allowed on a trampoline at a time.
Staff have experience in gymnastics and the referees are trained in CPR and First Aid. Mr Campbell’s message to visitors is to “take it easy”. “For the first five minutes, your body’s motor skills are just getting used to what is happening.”
Jesse Akister, 30, from Australia, strained a ligament in her right knee at Bounce.
“I felt the twinge but was so excited I kept going. It was tender to walk on when I left and then I went straight home to bed. I woke up and couldn’t put any weight on my leg. It was like that for about a week. I don’t know if a safety or skill session is necessary but definitely a recommendation to start slow.”
Karina Bensemann, 36, hurt herself practising a technique called “walking the wall”.
“I put my hand out to the solid barrier so I wouldn’t bounce back up. But the trampoline compressed at a much faster rate than I could bend my arm and my elbow popped out and went back into place.”
Tougher regulations are needed, said Sean Smith, a researcher specialising in corrective movement therapies and also a performing acrobat.
“Bounce is good, people use it poorly that’s all. The front flip is the most common cause I see for whiplash and spinal/neck injuries due to a loss of rotation and looking down when they hit.”
He said venues need to be stricter when policing the rules to stop people acting dangerously.
“No back flips into the pits unless clearly capable, no teaching of others unless you are qualified. They have rules there but they should announce them more clearly and enforce punishment, like removing patrons who mistreat those rules.”
Lii Schacht, a doctor of naprapathy, a mix of osteopathy and physiotherapy, has seen patients with injuries including lower back and neck problems after visiting such venues.
“People just need to take a step back and take it easy,” she said. “Activities are always a risk and, like anything, you need to know your limits.”
mswan@thenational.ae
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
if you go
The flights
Etihad flies direct from Abu Dhabi to San Francisco from Dh5,760 return including taxes.
The car
Etihad Guest members get a 10 per cent worldwide discount when booking with Hertz, as well as earning miles on their rentals (more at www.hertz.com/etihad). A week's car hire costs from Dh1,500 including taxes.
The hotels
Along the route, Motel 6 (www.motel6.com) offers good value and comfort, with rooms from $55 (Dh202) per night including taxes. In Portland, the Jupiter Hotel (https://jupiterhotel.com/) has rooms from $165 (Dh606) per night including taxes. The Society Hotel https://thesocietyhotel.com/ has rooms from $130 (Dh478) per night including taxes.
More info
To keep up with constant developments in Portland, visit www.travelportland.com
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Panipat
Director Ashutosh Gowariker
Produced Ashutosh Gowariker, Rohit Shelatkar, Reliance Entertainment
Cast Arjun Kapoor, Sanjay Dutt, Kriti Sanon, Mohnish Behl, Padmini Kolhapure, Zeenat Aman
Rating 3 /5 stars
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
