According to Jacobson, Morawa, and Bir (2012), out of the 4,245 cases of cheerleading accidents 11.6% of them were injuries to the back. Cheerleading has become a high level sport and with that has come an increase in injuries. Although there has been research done on the most common cheerleading injuries, there has been very little research done on prevention and detection of possible injuries in cheerleaders.
Strains/sprains were the most common injury sustained by cheerleaders, and the ankles and lower back were injured most often (Shields and Smith, 2011). On average cheerleaders spend 10.7 years in competitive cheerleading; the most common complaint of these cheerleaders is back pain (Waters, 203). With the lack of knowledge on prevention and detection of back-related injuries, coaches are unable to properly teach their athletes proper technique to use while stunting (Lamb and Priyadharshini, 2015). …show more content…
Athletes who participate in a contact sport over long periods show more symptoms of back pain, as compared to athletes who have been in a contact sport for less than five years (Hangai, Kaneoka, Okubo, Miyakawa, Hinotsu, Mukai, and Ochiai, 2010). Establishing a valid method of identifying athletes at elevated risk for back pain or back related injuries could lead to lower injury rates and improve overall athlete performance.
Although no methods have been used for cheerleaders to identify elevated risk of back pain or back related injuries Garrison, Westrick, Johnson, and Benenson (2015) found that the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) was an accurate predictor for back pain in collegiate athletes. Although many studies like Kiesel, Butler, and Plisky (2014) have looked at the FMS scores in relation to past injuries, none have looked at the scores in comparison to current self reported back
Strains/sprains were the most common injury sustained by cheerleaders, and the ankles and lower back were injured most often (Shields and Smith, 2011). On average cheerleaders spend 10.7 years in competitive cheerleading; the most common complaint of these cheerleaders is back pain (Waters, 203). With the lack of knowledge on prevention and detection of back-related injuries, coaches are unable to properly teach their athletes proper technique to use while stunting (Lamb and Priyadharshini, 2015). …show more content…
Athletes who participate in a contact sport over long periods show more symptoms of back pain, as compared to athletes who have been in a contact sport for less than five years (Hangai, Kaneoka, Okubo, Miyakawa, Hinotsu, Mukai, and Ochiai, 2010). Establishing a valid method of identifying athletes at elevated risk for back pain or back related injuries could lead to lower injury rates and improve overall athlete performance.
Although no methods have been used for cheerleaders to identify elevated risk of back pain or back related injuries Garrison, Westrick, Johnson, and Benenson (2015) found that the Functional Movement Screen (FMS) was an accurate predictor for back pain in collegiate athletes. Although many studies like Kiesel, Butler, and Plisky (2014) have looked at the FMS scores in relation to past injuries, none have looked at the scores in comparison to current self reported back