Top 3 Cheerleading Injuries You Can Treat at an Emergency Room
Cheerleading is one of the cornerstones of the American sports culture and it is something that without it, it will lead to sports in the U.S. being quite dull. Practically all of the major American sports go hand in hand with cheerleading; from basketball, football, soccer among others. It has also evolved to be a standalone activity as there are cheerleading tournaments now. Over the years, cheerleading has grown and evolved to a point that it now requires more athleticism and high-level gymnastic skills than before. Stunts are getting more and more complex and difficult and this has brought about an increase in injuries related to cheerleading. Recent studies, data that can be found over at frontlineer.com, have shown that cheerleading-related injuries are on the rise and it is one of the sports with the highest number of injuries. One of the reasons that has contributed to this may be the fact that, unlike the other sports which have off-seasons, cheerleading goes on all year round and as such the bodies of cheerleaders are under more strain either through practice or during performances. As far as injuries go, there are those which are minor while there are those that need to be treated at an ER, which will be the focus of this article as it will look to highlight three of them.
It will come as no surprise to find out that one of the most common cheerleading-related injury is an injury to the ankle. With a lot of the stunts in cheerleading involving lifting, jumping and the like, ankles are placed under a lot of physical strain and as such injuries to the ankle are a common feature of cheerleading. While minor strains and sprains of the ankle can be treated by icing, resting among other home remedies, more serious ankle injuries may need to be looked at in an emergency room. This include broken ankles as well as damage to the ankle ligaments including tears. As is covered in great detail over at frontlineer.com, some of the symptoms of serious ankle injuries include extreme redness of the affected ankle, severe swelling and pain of the ankle, tenderness of the affected ankle, inability to put weight on the ankle or even move it, numbness in and around the injured ankle, as well as a clear deformity of the ankle which may indicate an ankle break. Sometimes the ankle may change color to a bluish color and this also should indicate that you need to head over to an emergency room pronto.
The next cheerleading-related injury that can be treated in an emergency room is a back injury. Back injuries are quite common in cheerleading, as can be expected given the physical strains cheerleading exerts on the back with all the lifting and catching. The stunts also expose cheerleaders to the risk of falling and consequently hurting their backs. Minor cases don’t require one to head over to an emergency room as simply resting and icing the back will do. There are however serious back injuries that definitely need to be treated at an emergency room such as disc slips as well as a condition which is called spondylolisthesis, which is discussed in detail over at frontlineer.com. Back injuries can also mean an injury to the spine which should also be taken seriously and be treated at an emergency room. Some of the red flags to look out for as far as back injuries are concerned include severe radiating pain in the back, numbness and a tingling sensation, weakness, incontinence or an inability to control peeing or pooping among others, all of which should result to a visit to an emergency room.
Concussions are also another top cheerleading injury that can treated at an emergency room. As has been stated above, cheerleading is becoming more and more physically taxing, and as such knocks on the head or falls are common which can subsequently lead to concussions. Given that concussions are mild traumatic brain injuries, sever cases of concussion should always be handled in an emergency room, which has the requisite staff, facilities and equipment to treat it as is covered in detail over at frontlineer.com. Symptoms to look out for that will indicate the concussion may be severe and requires a visit to an emergency room include severe headache that gets worse, confusion, memory loss, changes in personality, repeated vomiting, speech and vision difficulties, seizures, loss of consciousness among others. If this one start exhibiting these symptoms after taking a knock on the hard when cheerleading, then they should be taken to an emergency room as a matter of urgency.
Given the increasing physical demands and competitive nature of cheerleading, it is no surprise that the number of injuries related to it are on the rise with the above being some of the top ones that can be treated in an emergency room. As usual, if you need more information on this and other topics, head over to frontlineer.com.
