Cheerleading injuries in children: What can be learned?

Cheerleading has gradually become more popular in Canada and represents an accessible way for youth to be physically active.

To determine the differences in the injuries encountered by cheerleaders according to their age, in order to propose safety guidelines that take into account the developmental stages of children.

Retrospective database review of cheerleading injuries extracted from the Canadian Hospitals Injury Reporting and Prevention Program (CHIRPP) database between 1990 and 2010. The injuries were compared by age group (5 to 11 versus 12 to 19) according to their sex, mechanism of injury and injury severity.

Overall, in 20 years, there were 1496 cases of injuries documented secondary to cheerleading (median age 15, 4 (interquartile range [IQR]=2, 2) years); mostly females (1410 [94%]). Of that number, 101 cases were 5 to 11 years old (age group [AG]1), while 1385 were 12 to 19 (AG2). Participants in AG1 were found to have a higher proportion of moderate-to-severe injury (46.5% compared with 28.2% in AG2). The odds ratio of moderate/severe injury for AG1 compared with AG2 was found to be 2.217 (95% CI [1.472; 3.339]). No fatalities were known to have occurred.

Children's developmental stages affect their ability to participate in sports and the responses of their bodies to impact forces. Our findings concerning cheerleading injuries indicate that younger children (5 to 11 years old) are more likely to suffer moderate-to-severe injuries. Thus, on a local basis, the use of appropriate safety measures including appropriate flooring/safety mats and spotters to catch falling athletes should be mandatory.