Page 49 - Today's Dietitian (March 2020)

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activities of the sport. Direct catastrophic injuries include with the basket toss decreased almost four-fold. Other
serious injuries requiring medical care and weeks of recovery rule changes for safety have included height restrictions on
(eg, fractured neck vertebrae, concussion), temporary pyramids and limitations on tossing and flying stunts. 3
paralysis, injuries resulting in permanent disability, and Since the 1970s’ evolutionary surge in competitive cheer-
death. Direct catastrophic injuries that have been reported as leading, national safety advocacy organizations have emerged,
a result of cheerleading include cervical fractures, spinal cord despite the lack of sport designation and governance by the
injuries, paralysis, severe head injuries (including permanent NCAA. In 1987, the American Association of Cheerleading
3
brain injury), skull fractures, and joint dislocations. In a 2018 Coaches and Administrators (AACCA) was established to
report from the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury develop coaching, risk management, and safety guidelines
Research (NCCSIR), researchers wrote that cheerleading for cheerleading. In 2007, the USA Federation for Sport Cheer-
was second only to football for the highest number of direct ing (USA Cheer) was established to serve as the National Gov-
traumatic, catastrophic injuries. And, cheerleading, along with erning Body for Sport Cheering; one of its mission statements
gymnastics, football, and ice hockey, had the highest rates of is to promote safety and safety education for cheerleading in
catastrophic injuries per 100,000 participants. Other NCCSIR the United States. In 2018, the AACCA merged with USA Cheer
4
reports have noted that cheerleading was responsible for 65% (usacheer.org) to sponsor CheerSafe (cheersafe.org), a coali-
of all catastrophic injuries in high school–aged female athletes tion of national, regional, and state cheerleading organizations
and 71% of catastrophic injuries in female college athletes that have collaborated to improve cheerleading safety. Cheer-
from the early 1990s to 2008. 3 Safe’s mission is to educate parents, cheerleaders, and school
administrators about cheerleading safety at every level and to
Safety Efforts promote and improve cheerleading safety. Both CheerSafe and
Although some of the increases in injury rates can be attrib- USA Cheer offer numerous resources for cheerleading safety on
uted to expanded surveillance and reporting capabilities and their websites. n
growing numbers of cheerleading participants, most are due
to the increased complexity of cheerleading skills and move- Jennifer Van Pelt, MA, is a certified group fitness instructor and
ments and the rapid evolution to a competitive, year-round health care researcher in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, area.
sport. In response to these injury rates, the AAP published a
professional policy statement on preventing cheerleading inju- For references, view this article on our
ries, recommending the following : website at www.TodaysDietitian.com.
1
• designating cheerleading as a sport at the national level
by the NCAA so it’s subject to rules and regulations by
sports governing bodies and school athletic departments;
• requiring all cheerleaders to have a physical examination
before beginning any cheerleading activity;
• ensuring that cheerleaders have access to appropriate
strength and conditioning programs;
• requiring all cheerleading teams to be supervised by
qualified coaches with training and certification in
spotting for gymnastics and stunts, safety, and injury
management;
• avoiding performance of stunts on hard, wet, uneven, Degrees and Certificates Offered
vinyl, or dirt surfaces;
• requiring coaches to follow rules for technical skill execu- Clinical Nutrition MS
tion established by cheerleading safety organizations;
• establishing a written emergency plan for coaches, par- Essentials of Health Why RFU? Flexible · Affordable · 100% Online
ents, and athletes to follow in conjunction with a team Promotion and Wellness Cert
physician and/or certified athletic trainer;
• ensuring a physician or certified athletic trainer is pres- Health Promotion and Wellness MS
ent at practices and competitions;
• removal from practice and competition any cheerleader Nutrition Education MS
with signs of a head injury and requiring medical clear-
ance before being allowed to return to participation; and Nutrition for Healthcare Professionals Cert
• continued surveillance and reporting of all catastrophic
injuries to the NCCSIR.
Learn more at
Cheerleading safety advocates were responsible for rosalindfranklin.edu
rule changes in the mid-2000s that banned one stunt—the
basket toss—from being performed on any hard surfaces.
After the rule change, catastrophic injuries associated
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