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Tips for Cheerleaders, Keep Them Safe, Healthy and Ready to Go!

By Rebecca Plaisance and Heather Harrison June 17, 2021


Cheerleading is a super popular sport and one that can provide your child with both physical and mental skills that will help them as they grow into adults. Cheerleading offers kids the opportunity to not only push themselves but to learn to support and rely on their teammates. We spoke with Heather Harrison PT, DPT, OCS, Clinic Manager for OrthoCarolina Huntersville and a former competitive gymnast, dancer, and cheerleader. Heather shared some of her knowledge and expertise to help ensure that your kids have a great experience with cheer, tips for staying safe, building strength and the importance of a healthy diet. 


What makes cheer a great sport to get involved in?

Cheerleading teaches children the importance of teamwork and perseverance in order to achieve a goal. Cheerleading requires the child to learn and develop individualized skills such as tumbling and jumps, but they also have to develop the ability to work as a team and in small groups when building stunts and pyramids. Stunting requires each member of the stunt to execute their part of the stunt at the proper time in order for the stunt to be successful. Learning and mastering new skills can give your child a sense of achievement, however, the learning process can often be quite frustrating. This sport helps to teach children to celebrate each other’s successes, help to pick each other up when they fall, and to provide encouragement to your teammates that are frustrated or having a bad day. 


How does cheer build strength and confidence?

During a competition, the team only has a short period of time to show the judges the skills that they have mastered as a team. As a cheerleader, you have to approach the floor with confidence and a positive attitude. Often during a competition, you are not only performing in front of judges, but also hundreds to thousands of people. Having to perform in front of large crowds can help a child that is shyer and reserved develop a better sense of confidence that can carry over to future endeavors in school or in the workplace.

The performance aspect of cheerleading can also help your child to learn how to adapt quickly and not dwell on mistakes. If your child or one of their teammates makes a mistake during the routine, doesn’t stick their tumbling, or falls out of a stunt during the routine, your child will have to be able to quickly move on from their mistakes and be able to maintain focus throughout the rest of the routine in hopes that their team can achieve the highest score possible. 






What is the impact that cheerleading can have on a teens body?

Most of the impact can be associated with overuse injuries such as patellar tendinitis and Achille tendinitis from jumping, as well as wrist pain or back pain from stunting and tumbling.


Does this impact change when they start puberty?

Typically in girls, puberty can cause the hips to widen. This change in your child's body can potentially increase their risk for a knee injury if they are not landing or jumping with proper technique. The reason this happens is that the large muscle on the front of the thigh (the quadriceps) attaches to both the pelvis and below the kneecap on the shin bone. When the hips are wider than the knees and the athlete is doing repetitive jumping or tumbling, this can cause an outward pull on the kneecap (patella) and lead to inflammation under the kneecap called patellofemoral syndrome. 

Another issue that can occur is an ACL or meniscus injury to the knee due to improper landing mechanics. When the hips and wider than the knees, girls can tend to land in a knock-kneed position, which can put them at an increased risk for an ACL or meniscus tear.

The best way to avoid these types of injuries is to look at your child's landing mechanics and make sure that they are practicing good technique and landing with their hips, knees, and feet in a straight line.



Are cheerleaders at an increased risk of concussion?

Yes, however, many sports today have similar risks including football and soccer. The U.S. All Star Federation (USASF) and the North Carolina High School Athlete Association both have rules in place to promote safety in both All-Star, middle school and high school cheerleading. The maneuvers performed in cheerleading that can place an athlete at a risk for concussion are typically during stunting. The athlete has the highest risk when their stunt group is learning a new stunt. 







Why are spotters so important when practicing cheer stunts?

Back spots are crucial positions in a stunt. They help to not only contribute to the success of getting the stunt up in the air, but they are also responsible to watching the flyers body position during the stunt and if the flyer begins to fall they are often the person that catches the upper body to protect the head and neck. Bases are also import in regards to helping to catch the flyer to reduce the risk for injury, however, bases often are more responsible for catching at the waist and below the hips. 


What are your best tips for avoiding cheer injuries?

The words: SLOW STEADY PROGRESSION. It is crucial to allow for your child to progress gradually in this sport. If you push your child to advance too quickly, they could end up trying tumbling and stunting maneuvers that they are not mentally or physically ready to do. It will take time for your child to develop the strength, agility and flexibility to perform the more advanced skills in this sport and it is okay if they stay at the same level for 2 years in a row.

All-star cheerleading is staged in levels 1 - 6 and it would be unreasonable to expect your child to advance to the next level each year. Trust the coaches decision if they are keeping them on the same level for back to back years. The extra year can help your child to get stronger and further develop the more advanced skills needed to advance the next season. Slow progressions are the best way to help your child to stay injury free.






What are some exercises that cheerleaders should focus on outside of practice to help avoid injury?

Good coaching programs incorporate strength and conditioning into their practice times, however, if this is not happening on a regular basis, they following exercises can be helpful in regards to injury prevention.

Core Strengthening: Planks and side planks

Lower Body strengthening: Squats and lunges with proper technique (making sure the knees do not pass in front of the toes.

Upper Body strengthening: Push-ups and handstand holds against the wall

Balance: Working on single leg balance holding different flyers positions. (Liberty, heel stretch, scale, scorpion, etc.)

Flexibility: Stretching splits on both legs as well as in a straddle.

Anaerobic cardio: Burpees / Sprints







How does diet impact cheer performance and what are some snack ideas for cheerleaders to throw in their gym bags?

Certainly, a healthy diet can improve performance regardless of whatever sport they play. It is great to maintain a well rounded diet with a good balance of protein, fruits, vegetables, dairy and complex carbohydrates. Snack ideas include: Apples, Bananas, Grapes, Carrots / celery sticks with hummus, Cheese sticks, Trail mix, Snack bars (Lara Bars and Kind Bars that are made with fruit and nuts).


What is the best way that a parent can support their cheerleader?

There are highs and lows in cheerleading. Some days can be successful and others can be quite frustrating. You can help to support your child by re-assuring them that continued hard work and perseverance can result in success. Encourage your child to support their teammates, be the positive light in a negative situation, and strive to always do their best.







Heather Harrison, PT, DPT, OCS - Heather is the clinic manager for OrthoCarolina is Huntersville, NC. Heather attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Exercise and Sports Science. Heather has always had a passion for exercise and wellness and developed her love for the field of physical therapy since she was a patient herself due to multiple injuries and surgeries from being a competitive gymnast, dancer, and cheerleader from elementary school through her time at UNC - Chapel Hill where she competed and performed on the sidelines during Football and Basketball games as a member of the UNC Dance Team.  Following undergrad, Heather received her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from  Duke University.  More recently, Heather earned her designation as an Orthopedic Certified Specialist through the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialties.  Her experience as in cheerleading and gymnastics includes being a UCA and Spirit Xpress Cheerleading Camp Instructor from 2000 - 2006. Heather also worked as an All Star Cheerleading coach for White Lightning All Stars after graduating from Duke University. Heather became level 5 certified for All Star Cheerleading by the USASF in 2011. She retired from coaching after she had her first daughter, Quinn, in 2012 in order to spend more time with her growing family.


To make an appointment with Heather or another provider at OrthoCarolina viist the OrthoCarolina website

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