Modern cheerleading has evolved from a team of players cheering on the sidelines to a sport with powerful stunts and complicated jumps. With its high demands on the musculoskeletal system and gymnastic-like maneuvers, cheerleading can lead to a variety of injuries including the knee, back, shoulders, ankles, wrists, and neck. Ligament sprains in the ankle and knee are most common in cheerleading. These are caused by landing awkwardly from jumps or twisting the knee during a stunt. Physical therapy is recommended for reducing pain and swelling, improving knee stability and strength, and facilitating return to cheerleading.
Other common injuries in cheerleading include sprained wrists from falling on outstretched hands, shoulder dislocations, and back injury such as a spondylolysis, which is a stress fracture of the spine. This is caused by repetitive tumbling and stunting movements that result in rotational forces on the spine that change the alignment of the vertebrae over time.
To prevent these and other injuries, cheerleaders should be trained by an experienced physical therapist to improve their balance on uneven surfaces and practice single leg standing balance exercises such as the Liberty pose. They should also perform regular strength and flexibility training to develop core muscles that help support the arms and legs. Finally, it is important to follow the RICE (rest, ice, compression and elevation) protocol following an injury to reduce inflammation and speed up recovery.
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