Concussions Are The Biggest Injuries Among High-School Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders are on the sidelines to support sports' teams, but many don't think about the type of injuries they might encounter.

A new study published in the journal Pediatrics shows that high-school cheerleaders are most at risk for concussion as the sport has continually become more competitive over the years. Based on information from a national sports injury database, researchers found that concussions from cheerleading injuries accounted for 31 percent of all high-school cheerleading injuries.

"Anecdotally, it's pretty clear to most people over the past few decades that cheerleading has shifted from a sideline activity to a competitive sport itself. This may have resulted in an increase in injury," said study author Dustin Currie, a doctoral student in epidemiology at Colorado School of Public Health at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus.

While the overall number of injuries were low, researchers found that over half of the cheerleading injuries occurred during stunts. Sixteen percent of injuries came from pyramid formations and 9 percent from tumbling, typically as the result of contact from another person. Cheerleaders at the base of different formations also represented 46 percent of all injuries, with fliers coming in next at 36 percent and then spotters at 10 percent.

While 34 percent of cheerleaders were able to return to their sport in less than one week and 41 percent returned in one to three weeks, 11 percent had more severe injuries that kept them out of practice for three weeks or more. Five percent also sustained injuries that left them out for the season or permanently.

The warning signs of a concussion including headache, nausea or vomiting, dizziness, coordination or balance issues, blurred or double vision, light and noise sensitivity, feelings of sluggishness and memory or concentration problems, according to Cheersafe.org.

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