Did you know
that March is National Cheer Safety Month?
Let’s face it…if
you have daughters’, chances are they love to dance, flip or cheer. Does your
son have amazing upper body strength, being able to flip, catch, and balance
someone with their hands? Cheerleading used to have a bad rap for high incidences
of injuries, however, in January 2016 research showed that cheerleading has the
5th lowest injury rate of 22 high school sports. The American
Academy of Pediatrics’ journal PEDIATRICS, Dustin Currie, et al., state that
using the last five years of data compiled by the National High School
Sports-Related Injury Surveillance Study (NHSSRIS), injury rates in
cheerleading rank 18th out of 22 sports, with an overall injury rate
of .71 injuries per 1,000 athlete-exposures.
Do our kids
still need to be careful? Absolutely! Common cheer injuries can include: ankle
sprains, knee injuries, wrist injuries, low back pain and head injuries
(concussions). But these can all be prevented! Do your research!!
Look into the equipment your cheer facility
uses. There should be plenty of mats and foam pits to be used when learning new
skills.
Research your
coaches. Are they experienced? Make sure they are well aware of the current
rules and regulations of the sport. There are guidelines, which include
restrictions on basket tosses, pyramid heights, and twisting/flipping stunts.
Your coaches should be well aware of the restrictions for each age group to
maintain overall child safety.
Is your son /
daughter healthy? Your child should be healthy both during season and
off-season. Make sure a comprehensive well, rounded flexibility and strength
program are being implemented year round to avoid overuse injuries. Not sure of
where to start? Reach out to our clinic to discuss details further with a
licensed physical therapist.
So what happens
if your child does get hurt? Or if he or she is complaining of achy pain? That
is the perfect time to schedule a complimentary injury screen with one of our
physical therapists. We can take your child through a sport specific movement
evaluation to determine what movement patterns and functional impairments are
present and give the appropriate exercises/stretches to help get them back on
track. We will be in constant communication with your coach to help tailor
practices to avoid further injury.
Don’t hesitate
to contact us with any questions regarding injury prevention and/or
rehabilitation!
Give me a
T-H-E-R-A-C-O-R-E!
Jen Bazan, PT, DPT
