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Cheerleading injuries less frequent, more severe than other high school sports
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Injury rates related to cheerleading are lower than most other high school sports; however, these injuries may be more severe, according to recent research in Pediatrics.
“Although safety remains a concern among cheerleaders, overall injury rates are lower than most other high school sports,” Dustin W. Currie, MPH, senior professional research assistant of the department of epidemiology at the Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, and colleagues wrote.
The researchers analyzed data from the National High School Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study from the 2009-2010 to the 2013-2014 school year. An average of 107 schools reported over the study period. Researchers calculated the injury rate by comparing the amount of athlete-exposures to the amount of injuries. Injuries were defined as any harm caused during an athletic event that required medical attention and resulted in restriction of performance for 1 day beyond the initial injury.
Data indicated that cheerleading ranked 18th among the 22 high school sports reporting data. The overall injury rate for cheerleading was 0.71 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures, with higher rates during competitions (0.85) and practices (0.76) than during performances (0.49). Performances were defined as any event where cheerleading was performed during halftime and on the sidelines of another sporting event. While most injuries occurred among girls (96.8%), the overall injury rate was higher among boys (RR = 1.93; 95% CI, 1.3-2.88) for cheerleading.
Concussions were the most common injury, making up 31.1% of incidents. These ranked lowest among all other 22 sports combined (RR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.51-0.66) and all other girls sports (RR = 0.82; 95% CI, 0.72-0.93). Currie and colleagues wrote that concussions incurred during practice were higher in cheerleading than in most other sports, ranking third behind football and wrestling. Other injuries included ligament sprains (20.2%), muscle strains (14.2%) and fractures (10.3%).
“This in-depth look at high school cheerleading injury epidemiology provides further evidence that can be used to inform policymakers, parents, coaches, certified athletic trainers and athletes regarding injury risks and potential intervention strategies,” the investigators wrote. “Although cheerleading injury research has increased in recent years, cheerleading remains less well-studied than other sports.” – by David Costill
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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