Common Injuries, Treatment, and Prevention for COMPETITIVE CHEERLEADING, GYMNASTICS, & DANCE by Dr. Ashley Redden, PT, DPT Cheerleading, gymnastics, and dance are popular sports for youth athletes. Intensity and frequency of training that includes repetitive impact landings, jumping, stunting, and twisting can result in a number of common injuries. These injuries most commonly occur from overuse due to high frequency training regimens. Although specific movements and skills are unique to each sport, many injuries are common to all three sports.The most common injuries found in these sports occur at the wrist, shoulder, lumbar spine, knee and ankle joints. Causes of Common Overuse Injuries Many injuries occur from repetitive stresses often seen in all three sports. Overuse injuries often occur in these sports due to repetitive movements which are often performed on one side of the body more than the other (kicking, turning, twisting). Athletes have an increased risk of injury if they do not possess the adequate amount of flexibility, strength, power, balance, and endurance that is required for successful performance of the skill. Poor technique and improper diets can greatly increase the risk of an athlete sustaining an overuse injury. Athletes may also be suffering with lingering previous injuries that were not managed properly. Common Injuries Athletes from all three sports use their arms and legs to complete skills, therefore putting them at risk for injuring almost all joints in the body. Injuries can range on a severity continuum from low grade strain/sprain injuries to more serious injuries that are sustained through a direct mechanism of injury. These may include: • Concussions • Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear
are competition ready. We are happy to communicate with your coaches if you wish. Goals of recovery and treatment: • Relative rest from sport • Rehabilitation • Addressing predisposing factors (i.e strength and flexibility deficits) • Correcting technique starting with addressing basic sport specific fundamental shapes and skills Tips on Prevention Like any other sport, proper training and conditioning can help prevent injuries. Sport-specific musculoskeletal screenings can often address issues before they cause problems. • Address injuries early. Athletes that experience soreness for more than 48 hours should be evaluated by a physical therapist. Do not perform through pain, as it may be an indicator of underlying injury • Get plenty of sleep and fuel your body with proper nutrition • Wear proper fitting shoes and replace when wear is extensive • Practice skills on all surfaces that you will perform on. When moving to a harder trainingsurface (springfloor todeadmat) it is important todecrease the intensity of training initially. This decrease allows the athletes body to adapt to the training surface Services We Offer • Sport specific muscular and neuromuscular screening after the start of each new competition season • Direct access to physical therapy treatment for up to 30 days without a prescription from a physician/PA/NP (state law requires a prescription for treatment beyond 30 days from initial eval) • Differential diagnosis and skilled therapeutic intervention • Correction of sport specific fundamental skills or technique correction Dr. Ashley Redden, PT, DPT has over 20 years of experience including participating, coaching, and now specializing in the treatment of youth cheer and gymnastics athletes. Her experience includes 11 years of competitive cheerleading including being a member of Fame Super Seniors, college athletic cheerleading, coaching and coordinating strength/conditioning and flyer balance/strength classes at a local cheerleading gym.
• Ankle/knee/wrist sprains • Achilles tendon strain/tear • Non-specific back/knee pain • Spondylolysis • Shoulder instability • Shoulder/elbow dislocations • Muscle sprains in legs, hips, and back Recovery and Treatment
Our goal at VCSST is to help you return to 100% participation in your given sport. We will be with you from the time of your initial injury to when you
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(804) 249-8277
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