I've read high praise for this activity, and tried it a little bit in a gym. Not many people seem to do it. A good minitramp is very expense. Is it worthwhile to acquire one? How can it be used safely at home, I.e. balance issues?
I'm thinking that you can simulate walking but with less impact on ankle, knee, hip joints and with some stretching element.
The question as to whether it is "worthwhile" is very subjective. As for safety issues and how to mollify them:
Most exercises you do on the mini trampoline require you to maintain your balance. If you have balance issues, you could fall onto the frame or springs or off the equipment and hurt yourself. You have a couple of options. You can sit on the mini trampoline and bounce, but you will not get the intensity of standing, walking, running and jumping on it. You can install a stability bar, which easily attaches to two of the mini trampoline legs, and grasp the bar to maintain your balance. The stability bar can get in the way of some exercises, but it does increase the safety factor.
Poking around a bit, it looks like simulating walking looks like this Reebok video. In case link rot leads to the video going away, it's less like actual walking, and more like "marking time" in marching band, shifting your weight from side to side by bending the knee of the leg that's not bearing as much weight. Alternately, some doctors just suggest "rebounding", or bouncing in place on the mini-tramp, in place of walking.
