From the article: Cheerleading Stunt Injuries
Cheerleading is often disregarded as a sport, but it's as demanding and dangerous as any other. Readers share stories of their -- or their children's -- cheerleading injuries and the treatment they received. Share Your Story
My Poor Ankle
- I was a cheerleader on a hard-core team. We practiced until we were doing out dance routines in the shower. I was a flyer in one of our best stunts, so I was pretty valuable. Unthinkingly along to the music at one practice, I got into the prep and was fine and then went into the tumbling sequence. I was just about to do the ever-popular somersault when the girl across from me landed ontop of me from her cartwheel. We fell over and were fine. There was a shooting pain in my ankle but I didn't think much of it. I continued until I was in tears. At the time I was young so the high school cheerleader who was helping my squad told me to sit and rest. My dad was one of the coaches so he came over and carried me over to the indoor portion of the practice. My dad is also an EMT and told me that I had a sprained ankle. I was to ice my ankle and elevate it as much as I could and use crutches. Although this put me behind in practice, we still placed 1st in our competition.
- —Guest Samantha
Cheer Injury
- Hi Rod. At 5'8 I was not the best choice for lifts...so I was mainly a base. However, our coach wanted us all to learn the lifts etc.... I was standing on the shoulders of my partner and I slipped off and fell flat on my back. My first though was "how am I going to tell my mother?" I was lucky ...although I could not move for a short period of time (seriously thought I was paralyzed). I recovered but never had to do lifts again! happily I went on to become a pro cheerleader, but I did know a girl who fell on her head and lost her sense of smell and taste permanently.
- —Guest lynn
Cheer injuries
- I was a high school cheerleader from 1993-1997. During a summer practice out on the grass, I was dropped from a basket toss gone wrong. The girl who was supposed to catch under my arms, caught my ankles instead and I landed on my head/neck. I was knocked out for a few minutes and was rushed to the ER. I ended up breaking my C5 and C6 vertebrae. I was very lucky. If the fractures had been the next vertebrae up I would be paralized or dead. I was in traction for weeks and spend numerous hours in physical therapy which was extremely painful. I wish there were stricter guidelines which every school district MUST follow and be accountable for. We should not have been performing those stunts out on the school lawn according to the Oregon High School Atheletic Assosciation. I urge parents to be involved with their childs extracuricular activities and know the guidelines that each state has set so these types of accidents can be avoided.
- —Guest Clkelly
Split Injury
- Over New Year's I was with some friends,and we were dancing, and my friend goes "Mandy do the splits!" And i can do them..but I hadn't stretched before i flexed lol. So I felt something pop and my left hip still hurts and it is now almost April, and I just now had Began going to phys. therepy..I'm off all sports for awhile and can't go back to gymnastics until May.
- —Guest Mandy
My injury
- A friend and I were just doing a shoulder sit and we both knew what we were doing, and then she flung me off before i was ready without saying anything! I landed flat on my back and we were just on a wrestling mat that was on the concrete floor. My back&my tailbone were sore for months.
- —Guest Mandy
Wasn't worth it
- At the time, I thought life was about fun on the field and "taking it for the team." I was a base, although I was not built for it. Often times, the other base and spotter would back out of catching the flyer because they didn't like her (and in retrospect, probably did not like me either). Consequently, I had immense lower back pain. It progressively got worse and worse. At first, I wouldn't be able to stand up after the catch, but after 5 or 10 minutes, it would go away. Then I couldn't even walk when I woke up in the morning... I couldn't sit in a desk, let alone stand up from one. This was 7 years ago. I still randomly have severe, debilitating back pain from things as simple as picking a pen off the floor. I'm only 22 - Saying cheerleading wasn't worth it is an understatement.
- —Guest Jess
cheer accident
- Yes my 12 year old daughter who cheers for middle school was dropped about 8 weeks ago. She broke her shoulder and knocked he ball and joint out of socket. She did have a surgery and had to have pins put in the shoulder. This has changed her life over the last 8 weeks. I feel sso strongly about keeping her out of cheer now because of all she has been through. We still have months of physical therapy ahead of us. This sport is a passion to her but as a mother I am terrified that the next time we will not be so lucky! First was the elbow now the shoulder I do not want it to be her neck next time.
- —Guest rebecca cook
