In honor of National Cheer Safety Month, the National Cheer Safety Foundation has provided a grant to fund free baseline concussion tests to all athletes attending TSC summer camps.
Cheerleaders are at risk for head and facial injuries including concussions because of the high risk stunts that they perform. While the deaths and catastrophic brain injuries in cheer have been documented as primarily occurring when athletes fell from basket tosses and pyramids onto hard surfaces (Mueller, F., & Cantu, R., 2009), concussions can be sustained in a number of ways in cheer.
According to the American Red Cross, any fall greater than the height of the individual can cause a head injury (American Red Cross, 2006). When one considers that flyers can be tossed upwards of 15 – 20 feet in the air, it is not surprising that concussions are a common injury in cheer.
In cheer, it is not only the flyers who are at risk for injury, but the bases as well. Bases are at risk for both concussions and facial injuries when they are positioned to catch the flyers. If the flyer’s body is not tightly controlled, the bases’ face and head can be struck hard by the flyer’s arms and legs.
Grant Awarded to The Spirit Consultants for Baseline Concussion Testing
The Spirit Consultants was awarded a grant from the National Cheer Safety Foundation (NCSF). According to the press release from the NCSF (March 1, 2011), every athlete who attends one of TSC’s camps this summer will be offered baseline concussion testing at no cost to the athlete.
Besides bringing concussion awareness to the coaches, parents, and athletes in cheer, the baseline tests will provide a measure with which athletes can be compared to in the future in the event that they sustain a concussion. During the administration of the test, athletes are measured on a number of neurocognitive tests including memory and balance.
In the event that an athlete sustains a future concussion, the athlete is then retested using the same neurocognitive tests. The retest scores are then measured against the baseline scores to see if there are any differences in the scores.
Benefits of Baseline Concussion Testing
Because concussions cannot be seen on an x-ray, MRI, or CT scan, neurological testing is one objective tool that can be used to diagnose a concussion. This is also important because athletes are not always honest in reporting their symptoms to a medical professional or coach.
While an athlete may not report subjective symptoms of concussion such as dizziness or confusion, they cannot alter the results of neurocognitive tests in memory or balance. This is a significant area of improvement in diagnosing concussions in athletes.
Bringing concussion awareness to the parents, coaches, and athletes is an important step for improving safety in cheer. Introducing baseline concussion testing is a significant step in the right direction.
References
American Red Cross (2006). First Aid/CPR/AED for Schools and the Community. StayWell: Yardley, PA.
Mueller, F. & Cantu, R., (August 19, 2009). National Center for Catastrophic Injury: 25th Annual Report. University of North Carolina.
Nationalcheersafety.com, “In Honor of National Cheer Safety Month the NCSF Offers Free Concussion Baseline Testing”, (Accessed on March 7, 2011).
Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for educational purposes only and should not be used for diagnosis or to guide treatment without the opinion of a health professional. Any reader who is concerned about his or her health should contact a doctor for advice.
Terry Zeigler - Educating through writing with over twenty-five years of experience as a Kinesiology Professor and Certified Athletic Trainer.
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