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A WORRIED mum has warned parents about the dangers of letting kids play on swings.

Sharing the shocking images of her son to Facebook, Rebecca,  revealed how the “extreme pressure” from the force and motion of spinning around on a swing had caused blood to pool in his head leading him to complain his “brain hurt”.

In the now-viral post – which has received thousands of ‘likes’ – she explained that her little boy had been playing around on a dream catcher-style swing, which moves in circles rather than back and forth, in a playground.

“Just so parents are aware of what could happen when your child spins way too fast for way too long on a swing with their head leaned back/hanging off,” she wrote.

“Our son loves to spin around, he’s a bit of a thrill seeker (you know how boys can be).

“Yesterday he was playing with a group of other kids outside running around the yard and on the playground equipment.

“He got on the swing and told the other kids to spin him around (like he does a lot), you know the famous line, ‘faster, higher, spin me faster’.”

Rebecca revealed she had been inside at the time, and first heard something was wrong when he came to her with his friends to reveal he had felt unwell and needed to get off the swing, and passed out for a few minutes.

“He said he had trouble breathing and his ‘brain hurt’,” the mum explained, adding that she could see the entire top of his head had turned into a large red ‘bruise’.

She took him to hospital to check for possible brain injury, despite him not having hit is head.

“The doctors and nurses were puzzled and thought he spray painted his head because they have not seen this type of presentation of blood bruising before,” she continued.

“They were very quick to examine his head, eyes and inner ears and sent him for a C.T.

“Praise God it came back normal, no internal injuries or brain swelling.”

What had happened was the force and motion of the swing had caused blood to collect in his head.

“As he spun faster and faster with his head back, the centrifugal force/pressure forced blood to rush to the top of his head causing blood to immediate pool/bruise, (which looked like his head was spray painted or burned),” his mum added.

“Plus the blood vessels in his eyes and eye lids burst from the extreme pressure.”

The woman said: “We will be very cautious about spinning excessively from now on.”

Warning to others

She warned other parents to be aware, but not stop their kids playing on dream catcher-style swings and other equipment like traditional swings and a roundabout.

“So, not trying to cause fear or say stop letting your kids spin and have fun, but just food for thought to be careful of excessive spinning under these circumstances,” she advised.

Her warning has attracted 11,000 shares and thousands of comments.

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  • The picture has been removed. Yet another possible danger parents need to remember to watch our for

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  • I loved the spinning and scare as a kid! But it’s unnatural motion too I suppose on the brain. If a child showing signs of dislike – stop the spinning. It’s about supervision and everything a hazard really with motion involved.

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  • I wonder how many children have got damage to their eyes – cause unknown. I know one of my nephews hates being swung too fast on one of them. If a child’s eye fills with blood blindness can occur. I know a child who was in hospital for a week with both eyes covered and not allowed out of bed at all. (a teenager who had to use a bed pan, be washed by a nurse etc) If you move one eye that’s not covered your damaged bandaged eye automatically moves too. His parents were told that if the boy had not done as instructed he could have completely lost his eyesight in that eye.

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  • Shocking!! That bruise looks very nasty. Poor young man. There’s a swing like that at a park we go to sometimes, My youngest has gotten sick on it but nothing like this boy. Hope he’s okay!

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  • Would never have thought this could happen. Thankfully the child is ok

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  • This would be so terrifying. Glad he recovered well.

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  • Oh my goodness, how scary would that have been – thank you for sharing this, I would have never have even thought it possible!

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  • THANK YOU FOR SHARING
    I wouldn’t have known this either and I have medical qualifications!

    How frightful!!!

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  • Didn’t know you could get these symptoms of spinning the swing too hard ! Glad he is ok.

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  • Wow this is frightening, I hope he is ok now

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  • Wow glad she took him to get help so quickly. It’s good to know what to watch for.

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  • We have had so many play at the parks. It would have been shocking at he time.

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  • Oh sweetie. That’s terrible!! :-(

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  • Wow, wouldn’t have even thought of this. Don’t know how many countless times we did this as kids.

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  • Who would have thought that was even possible!

    Reply

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