Page 48 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

Focus on Fitness By Jennifer Van Pelt, MA

29 state high school athletic associations
do recognize it as a sport). The Ameri-
can Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes
the lack of recognition by the NCAA as
a problem because injuries aren’t con-
sistently tracked and safety regulations
and surveillance at the national level
are lacking. However, sports medicine
1
researchers and other athletic safety
organizations, including some dedicated
to cheerleading, recently published epide-
miologic studies on cheerleading injuries.

Epidemiology of Injuries
According to the AAP and the US Con-
sumer Product Safety Commission,
the number of injuries associated with
cheerleading increased more than 400%
from 1980 to 2007. From 1990 to 2012,
cheerleading injuries in those aged 5 to
18 increased at a rate of 189% per year.
From 2001 to 2012, the annual rate of
concussions and other closed-head inju-
ries increased by 290%. 1-3
According to the AAP, the most
common types of injuries include the
following:

• sprains and strains (53%);
• abrasions, hematomas, and
contusions (13% to 18%);
Cheerleading • fractures and dislocations (10%
to 16%);
Injuries and Safety • lacerations and punctures (4%); and
• concussions and head injuries (3.5%
to 4%).
M arch is designated as National Cheerleading most commonly injured anatomic area,
The lower extremities comprise the
Safety Month. Since its origin in the late 1800s,
cheerleading has evolved from simple sideline
followed by the upper extremities, head/
cheering for sports teams into a competitive
from heights are responsible for approx-
athletic activity with complex physical stunts. neck, and trunk. Tumbling and falls
In its early years and through the 1960s, cheerleading mostly imately 15% to 25%, respectively, of
involved pompom shaking and chanting, with some simple cheerleading injuries. Stunts (eg, lifting,
jumps and gymnastics movements, such as splits. In the early flying/tossing, building pyramids) are
1970s, the Dallas Cowboys debuted the first professional responsible for approximately 40% to
cheerleading team in the National Football League. Title IX, 60% of all cheerleading injuries and 96%
the legislation that opened the door for competitive sports for of concussions and other head injuries.
women, was passed the same year, and cheerleading rapidly Approximately 50% to 66% of head/neck
evolved into a competitive activity. injuries occur during pyramid stunts. 1,3
Cheerleading began incorporating gymnastics tumbling, While the overall injury rate for
fast-paced dance movements, and complicated multiperson cheerleading is low compared with other
1,3
stunts, such as pyramids, lifts, and “tossing” of team members. sports, the injuries are more severe.
In 1990, 600,000 American children aged 6 and older partici- Organizations that track sports-related
pated in cheerleading; by 2003, that number had increased to injuries in high school have reported
almost 3.6 million. 1 that cheerleading is associated with a
Despite its increasing athleticism and number of competi- high rate of direct catastrophic injuries,
tive events, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) defined as injuries resulting directly
doesn’t consider competitive cheerleading as a sport (although from participation in the fundamental

48 TODAY’S DIETITIAN • MARCH 2020