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Cheerleading Injuries Video

Before going into detail about cheerleading injuries, to the right is a video I made based on cheerleading injuries that have occured and how dangerous cheerleading actually is. Although there are many dangerous aspects in cheerleading the main reason people stay in it is for the commitment they can have with a loving team and for the thrill it gives you when you enter onto a competition mat. Therefore, although cheerleading is very dangerous people continue to take the risk in order to have this amazing experience. As cheerleading evolved from sideline cheering the skills became more difficult therefore making it more dangerous. There were many catastrophic injuries that occured once this change had taken place therefore more rules and regulations had to take place as well. In 2002 there were 16000 emergancy visits, in 2009 there were 28000 emergancy visits related to injuries because of cheerleading. As cheerleading became more of a high contact sport the rate of injuries increase as well as the severity of the injuries. Over half of female injuries related to sport are due to cheerleading. General cheerleading injuries are common in the wrists, ankles, shoulders, neck, back and head.  

Injuries In Cheerleading

  • Strains/ Sprains (mainly ankle)

  • Back injuries

  • Concussions

  • Knee injuries

  • Catastrophic injuries (ex. skull fractures, spine injuries, fractures, paralysis)

Main Injuries, how they happen, and how to fix them

  • Strains/ Sprains: More than half of cheerleading injuries are from strains and sprains. The most common is an inversion ankle sprain. In cheerleading the athletes usually get these sprains from landing on their ankles in the wrong way during or after tumbling. Ways to recover from this injury would be to rest it, if you have a sprain you should try to remain off of it as much as possible. The individual must continue to ice the injury and keep it elevated to minimize blood flow and reduce swelling and contusion.

  • Concussions: Concussions are common in cheerleading from the constant catching and getting hit in the head, as well as possibly falling and landing on their head. A concussion is a head injury that affects the brain directly; they disrupt the brain from its normal functions. There are several symptoms that indicate a concussion, for example “ringing in the ears”, migraines, confusion, dizziness, etc. Some symptoms are prevalent right after the injury and some take several days to show up. In many circumstances athletes feel like they are ready to return before their brain has fully healed, therefore leading to a worse concussion or even death if they do return early. In many circumstance the individual does not need to be unconscious or knocked out to have a concussion. If an individual has a concussion they must rest and avoid things that increase severity of symptoms.  Before returning to play the individual must consult a doctor and go through several tests in order to be cleared for sports.

  • Back Pain: Cheerleaders usually suffer from back pain as they are constantly lifting people, tumbling and twisting in the air, and catching dismounts. This constant force on their back will usually cause lower back pain because of the unnatural stress this causes on their back.  A more serious back injury would be a stress fracture in the vertebras or a vertebra slipping out of place. Individuals with these kinds of back pain must rest from the types of activities that irritate their back. In some cases athletes must take weeks and even months off. Another aid in recovery would be strengthening back and abdominal muscles

Avoiding Injuries

  • Strength training

  • Not attempting dangerous skills if they are tired, injured or ill

  • Coaches should be certified and have the proper training

  • Only do things the individual feels confident about

  • All stunts and tumbling should be supervised, for safety reasons

  • Proper warm up and stretching is critical to reduce injuries

  • Cooling down muscles after practice is also critical when trying to reduce injuries

Injuries in Cheerleading

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