Many girls went to the emergency room with sprained ankles, twisted knees or other more minor injuries. Research from the journal Pediatrics recently revealed that competitive cheer injuries tend to be more serious than injuries sustained in other high school sports (like baseball, basketball, football, hockey, and soccer). Astonishingly, cheerleading at the college level was associated with However, sometimes the headlines do not tell the entire story. Background: Over 50% of all catastrophic injuries in women’s sport occur in cheerleading, but unlike other sports, no central tracking system exists. In that statement, the AAP’s Council on Sports Medicine and Fitness recommended that cheerleading be designated as a sport.The statement also provided some useful injury statistics and … Require safety certification and ongoing education for coaches, Have trainers on site for cheerleading performances, Follow safety regulations like using mats on the floor during performances. General Cheerleading Injury Characteristics Overall Girls (96.8%) represented most injuries, with only 3.2% of injured athletes being boys. While ankle sprains are most common, sprains can also occur in the knees, wrists, neck and back. Objective: To obtain, describe, and compare cheerleading injury data and associated factors. New statistics show cheerleading is the leading cause of catastrophic injuries leading to paralysis or death among high school and college-age girls. Catastrophic Injuries. The Right First Aid for Sports Injuries Can Help You Heal Faster, Just 2% of Teens Meet Veggie Intake Recommendations, CDC Says, How to Prevent and Treat Wrestling Injuries, Everything You Need to Know About CrossFit Girl Workouts of the Day, Even Healthy Athletes May Binge and Purge. Cheerleading is also among the top 20 sports with highest rate of head injuries, according to American Association of Neurological Surgeons. Again, the sport with the highest injury rate was boys’ football, with 11.8 injuries per 1,000 athletic exposures (AE) compared to cheerleading with 0.5 injuries per AE, a rate 23 times higher than cheerleading. Unfortunately, not all cheerleading squads have the necessary equipment, budget, or adequate supervision by a coach trained in acrobatics and gymnastics. While not as frequent as injuries in other sports, cheerleading injuries tend to be more severe, making up more than half of the catastrophic injuries in female athletes. Which Brands of Designer Handbags Are Most Affordable? Concussions and other head injuries “Concussions are one of the most common injuries for cheerleaders,” said Dr. Olsen. The most common injuries are reported as being brought on due to performing pyramids; these include broken arms, elbow injuries, broken noses, knee injuries, sprained wrists and ankles, back and head injuries, and broken collarbones. Here are some ways to stay safe. Read our, Medically reviewed by Richard Fogoros, MD, Medically reviewed by Erin Pereira, PT, DPT, Safety Tips and Precautions for Cheerleading Teams, Gymnasts Can Suffer From Traumatic Injuries. But cheering accounts for two-thirds of catastrophic injuries … Statistics on catastrophic injuries. Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. Studies show that cheerleading, as a sport, has a higher risk of concussion (14 per 100,000) during practice, when athletes are learning new skills, versus during competition (12 per 100,000), when skills are already learned and perfected. The doctor, who treats numerous cheer-related injuries during the school year, thinks cheerleading’s semi-sport status means that there “may not be proper trainers on hand during practices.” When you think of cheerleading, you probably don't think of it as a dangerous sport. Concussions were the most common cheerleading injury, accounting for about 31% of all injuries, according to a recent study. But cheerleading is no longer a pep squad team that leads cheers from the sidelines. A more accurate comparison could be made by looking at injuries occurring during a specific time period. While the overall injury rate for cheerleading is relatively low compared to other sports, the injuries in cheer tend to be more severe. Currie DW, Fields SK, Patterson MJ, Comstock RD. Serious or catastrophic injuries to female athletes include: Because today's cheerleading stunts require a high degree of skill in gymnastics and acrobatics, it's important to have appropriate instruction and coaching. “Although injury rates are low, when injuries do occur in cheerleading they tend to be more severe than when injuries occur in other sports (i.e. These moves require precision, timing and hours of practice with a skilled coach. All Rights Reserved. This, coupled with the widely publicized death of cheerleaders like Lauren Chang, has caused many organizations to tighten regulations around the types of stunts cheerleading squads can perform and the safety precautions squads should take. Astonishingly, cheerleading at the college level was associated with 70.5% of all catastrophic injuries in female sports for the entire 35 years of data collection. “Some schools have actually seen more concussions on the cheerleading … However, the vast majority of cheerleaders "ending up in the emergency room" are there for minor injuries. Check that the coach is also certified in first aid and CPR. In some high schools and colleges, this may mean the coach is a former cheerleader or a parent, rather than a trained gymnastics instructor. There were 1.95 direct catastrophic injuries per year or 0.6 injuries per 100,000 participants. Are Especially Prone to Anorexia—Are you at risk safety precautions that include: help... 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