Cheerleading Injury As �Serious' As Sports Injury

Sports with cheerleaders have become the trend now. In all sports, the participation of cheerleaders is considered to be as important as players due to their popularity.

A recent study conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Colorado estimated the data from a national high school sports injury surveillance system gathered between 2009 and 2014. The study was published in the Journal Pediatrics.

‘Cheerleading ranks 18th out of 22 sports for overall injuries, which consist mostly of concussions, muscle sprains and fractures.’

They found that cheerleading injuries were less frequent but more severe than other sports injuries. About 400 000 students participate in US high school cheerleading annually and the rates of injuries in them was found to be higher.

The most common injuries were concussions at 31.1 percent, ligament sprains at 20.2 percent, muscle strains at 14.2 percent and fractures at 10.3 percent. Surgery was required for 4 percent of the injuries, mostly for fractures and sprains.

The study also found that the 96 percent of girls were injured but the overall injury rate was higher in boys. The main reasons for cheerleading injuries were the stunts, constant jumping and tumbling on the floor. Therefore, researchers suggested that safety measures must be provided for cheerleaders just like other sports to prevent severe injuries in future.

Reference: Dustin W. Currie, Sarah K. Fields, Michael J. Patterson, R. Dawn Comstock, "Cheerleading Injuries in United States High Schools," Pediatrics, http://dx.doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-2447

Source: Medindia