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Cheerleading: What are the Risks?
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Posted on: 11/30/1999
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Cheerleading has been around for over 100 years. In the last 20 years it has become a sport that can cause severe injuries, and even death. Complex gymnastic moves such as the pyramid, throwing stunts, or basket toss increase the risk of injury. How often do injuries happen? What can be done to prevent them? These are the questions asked by researchers at the Orthopaedic Center in Rockville, Maryland. They teamed up with physical therapists at the University of North Carolina to find some answers.
Some cheerleading injuries are reported to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury Research. In this study ,29 of 39 reported incidents from 1982 to 2002 were reviewed. The researchers found that college cheerleaders are at greatest risk. They are five times more likely to be injured than high school cheerleaders. The injuries include skull fractures, concussions, spinal cord injuries, and, in two cases, death.
The authors contacted each injured cheerleader. Questions were asked about what caused the injury, what stunt was being done, and whether spotters were being used. The researchers were hoping to find ways to prevent future injuries. Most of the injuries took place indoors on a hard gym floor without a landing mat.
Spotters are important in preventing injuries, but having a spotter doesn't mean trauma won't occur. In this study, some injuries happened when the spotter wasn't ready, misjudged the timing, or stumbled before the catch. Sometimes there are unavoidable accidents. One cheerleader was hurt when a basketball player who got shoved out of bounds pushed the cheerleader into a cement wall.
Some ways to prevent accidents are offered in this article. Spotters must always be present for any stunts. Improving spotter's training is key to injury prevention. Floor mats must be used for all stunts. Stunts must not be done on a wet or hard surface. Cheerleaders must have advanced training before trying these stunts; cheerleaders with the least experience are hurt most often.
To prevent injuries, cheerleaders and coaches should know and follow rules for pyramids, dismounts, and tosses. These rules come from the American Association of Cheerleading Coaches and Advisors, which can accessed online at http://www.aacca.org. A qualified coach is also important. Other key prevention strategies are given in this report of cheerleading injuries.
The authors suspect that many more serious injuries have affected cheerleaders than are currently reported. Reporting isn't consistent across the country. Studies on this topic are very limited. They conclude that more attention is needed to this area of sports.
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References:
Barry P. Boden, MD, et al. Catastrophic Cheerleading Injuries. In The American Journal of Sports Medicine. November/December 2003. Vol. 31. No. 6. Pp. 881-888.
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