Cheering your team to victory is usually a harmless activity. However, when a pyramid collapses or a stunt goes awry, concussions can occur.
Did you know most cheerleading concussions occur during practice? Learn more below.
Facts About Cheerleading and Concussions
The overall injury rate in cheerleading is low, but concussion is the most common injury.
Percent of all cheerleading injuries that are concussion: 31.1%
Unlike other sports, most cheerleading injuries (78.8%) occur during practice rather than during game time.
The following skills make up the largest proportion of concussion injuries:
- Stunts: 69%
- Pyramids: 15.7%
- Tumbling: 9.1%
- Other: 6.2%
When it comes to positioning during stunts, being at the bottom makes you most susceptible to concussion:
- Bases: 45.5%
- Flyers: 36%
- Spotters: 9.8%
- Other: 8.6%
These are the most common ways to get a concussion during cheerleading:
- Contact with the playing surface 37.9%
- Contact with another person: 58.9%
- Due to:
- Elbow
- Head
- Foot
