Cheerleading accounted for two-thirds of all catastrophic injuries in female high school athletes over a three-decade period. This data details where the sport's significant risks are concentrated and what that means for training.
Key Takeaways
- Ankle sprains accounted for 23% of all cheerleading injuries in high school athletes
- Females aged 12-17 comprised 89% of cheer ED visits 2013-2018
- In a study of 2,451 cheerleaders across 30 high schools, the overall injury rate was 0.99 per 1000 athletic exposures (AEs)
- 35% of injuries required surgery in severe cases
- Stunting accounted for 52% of cheerleading injuries in high school
Cheerleading injuries are common, so smart safety practices and training help prevent many of them.
Related reading
01 · Category
Common Injuries30 stats
01
Ankle sprains accounted for 23% of all cheerleading injuries in high school athletes
02
Concussions represented 9.7% of cheerleading injuries in NCAA surveillance 2009-2014
03
Lower extremity injuries comprised 72% of cheerleading ED visits in youth
04
Strains/sprains were 35% of high school cheer injuries
05
Fractures/dislocations 17% in college cheer stunting activities
06
Head/face injuries 13% of total cheer injuries in high school
07
Knee injuries 15.2% in collegiate cheerleaders over one season
08
Shoulder injuries 12% during pyramid and toss stunts
09
Back strains 10.5% of practice injuries in high school cheer
10
Wrist/hand fractures 8% in youth cheer ED data 2010-2014
11
ACL tears 4.1% of severe cheerleading knee injuries
12
Finger injuries 6% from catching stunts
13
Spinal injuries 5% of catastrophic cheer cases
14
Elbow dislocations 3.2% in tumbling injuries
15
Hip injuries 7% in base cheerleaders
16
Neck strains 11% during partner stunts
17
Foot injuries 9% from landing dismounts
18
Dental injuries 2.1% in cheer collisions
19
Thigh contusions 5.5% in practice drills
20
Rib fractures 1.8% from falls in pyramids
21
Eye injuries 1.2% from props or falls
22
Hamstring strains 8.3% in flyers
23
Quadriceps strains 6.7% during running cheers
24
Calf strains 4.9% in bases from lifting
25
Tendonitis 7.2% chronic in ankles
26
Bursitis 3.4% in knees from repetitive kneeling
27
Stress fractures 2.6% in lower legs from tumbling
28
Labral tears 1.9% in hips from stunts
29
Meniscus tears 3.8% in cheer knee injuries
30
Rotator cuff strains 4.2% in spotters
Interpretation
Common Injuries Interpretation
Across common cheerleading injuries, ankle sprains lead the pattern at 23% in high school athletes while lower extremity problems make up 72% of youth ED visits, showing that most preventable risk centers on the legs.
02 · Category
Demographics28 stats
01
Females aged 12-17 comprised 89% of cheer ED visits 2013-2018
02
High school cheerleaders (14-18 years) had 65% of all youth cheer injuries
03
College females aged 18-22: 72% of NCAA cheer injuries
04
Children 5-11 years: 28% of cheer ED visits, mostly strains
05
Middle school (11-14): injury rate 1.1/1000 AEs, higher than elementary
06
95% of high school cheerleaders are female, per NFHS data
07
Co-ed college teams: males 15% of squad, 22% of injuries
08
Elite all-star cheer: 82% female teens 13-17 years
09
Recreational cheer: 60% under 12 years, lower injury severity
10
African American cheerleaders had 1.4 times higher ED visit rate
11
Flyers: 68% female aged 14-16, highest injury proportion 45%
12
Bases: 55% male in co-ed, aged 16-18, shoulder injuries 30%
13
Spotters: mostly males 15-20 years, wrist injuries 25%
14
Urban areas: 2.3 times cheer injury ED rates vs. rural
15
Southern US states: 40% of national cheer injuries due to competition density
16
Overweight cheerleaders (BMI>25): 18% higher strain risk, but only 8% of squads
17
Varsity high school: 75% injuries vs. 25% JV, aged 16-18 dominant
18
All-girl squads: 92% female 13-18, concussion rate 12%
19
Professional cheer: adults 20-30 years, 5% of injuries, chronic overuse
20
Elementary cheer: 5-10 years, 15% of youth injuries, mostly minor
21
Hispanic cheerleaders: 22% of ED visits despite 14% participation
22
Northeast US: lowest cheer participation, 10% of injuries
23
Males in cheer: 4% high school, but 30% catastrophic injuries
24
Seniors (17-18): 35% of high school cheer injuries
25
Freshmen (14): highest novice injury rate 28%
26
62% of cheer injuries in 12-18 females per NEISS 2014
27
Division I college: 80% 18-22 females, injury rate highest
28
45% of cheerleaders aged 15-17 in injury surveillance
Interpretation
Demographics Interpretation
The demographics of cheerleading injuries are heavily skewed toward adolescent girls, with females accounting for 89% of cheer ED visits for ages 12 to 17 and 95% of high school cheerleaders, while the majority of youth and NCAA injuries cluster in the 14 to 18 and 18 to 22 female age ranges.
03 · Category
Incidence And Prevalence30 stats
01
In a study of 2,451 cheerleaders across 30 high schools, the overall injury rate was 0.99 per 1000 athletic exposures (AEs)
02
Cheerleading accounted for 66.4% of all catastrophic injuries in female high school athletes between 1982-2011, totaling 113 cases
03
Youth cheerleaders aged 5-14 experienced 37,060 emergency department visits for injuries in 2013
04
College cheerleaders had an injury rate of 2.3 per 1000 AEs during competitions from 1989-2002
05
High school cheerleading injury rate was 0.62 per 1000 AEs in practices and 2.46 per 1000 AEs in games
06
From 2010-2014, cheerleading injuries increased by 11% annually among children under 18
07
In NCAA cheerleaders, 15.9% of athletes reported injuries requiring medical attention over one season
08
Cheerleading represented 20% of all female college sports injuries in a 10-year surveillance
09
Middle school cheerleaders had 1.2 injuries per 1000 practice hours
10
Over 15 years, 9,285 cheerleading injuries were reported in high school athletic trainers' surveillance
11
Cheer injuries made up 4.7% of all high school sports injuries from 2005-2011
12
In 2018, 18,904 cheerleading-related injuries treated in US EDs for ages 13-22
13
Practice injury rate in high school cheer was 0.85/1000 AEs vs. 3.68/1000 AEs in performances
14
Collegiate cheerleaders injury incidence was 4.9 per 1000 AEs in stunting
15
From 2002-2011, cheerleading ED visits rose 31% for females aged 13-22
16
1 in 5 high school cheer injuries involve time loss over 7 days
17
Youth cheer injury rate 0.56 per 1000 AEs in a multi-site study
18
Cheerleading had the highest catastrophic injury rate at 0.6 per 100,000 participants among girls' sports
19
In 2014, 30,439 cheer injuries in US EDs, 62% in girls aged 12-18
20
NCAA Division I cheer injury rate 1.7 per 1000 AEs annually
21
High school cheer stunting caused 50% of injuries in a 5-year study
22
Cheerleading injuries increased 2-fold from 1990-2007 in NEISS data
23
25% of college cheerleaders sustain at least one injury per season
24
Pediatric cheer ED visits: 15,954 in 2002, rising to 26,397 by 2007
25
Injury proportion in cheerleading was 2.5 times higher than gymnastics
26
0.99 injuries/1000 AEs in high school cheer, higher than basketball
27
Catastrophic injuries: 41% cervical spine in cheerleaders 1982-2006
28
Annual cheer injury incidence 9.84 per 10,000 youth participants
29
From 2013-2018, 101,294 cheer ED visits in US
30
Competition cheer injury rate 3.7 per 1000 participant-games
Interpretation
Incidence And Prevalence Interpretation
Across incidence and prevalence data, cheerleading shows a consistently measurable injury burden and is growing, with overall injury rates documented at 0.99 per 1,000 athletic exposures in high school athletes and youth under 18 seeing cheerleading injuries rise by 11% each year from 2010 to 2014.
More related reading
04 · Category
Outcomes And Prevention30 stats
01
35% of injuries required surgery in severe cases
02
24% of high school cheer injuries resulted in >7 days time loss
03
12% of cheer concussions led to post-concussion syndrome
04
Proper matting reduced stunt injuries by 48% in studies
05
Strength training lowered lower extremity injuries 32%
06
67% of cheer injuries were non-time-loss (minor)
07
Catastrophic quadriplegia in 37% of severe spine cases
08
Return to play average 14 days for ankle sprains with rehab
09
Helmet use in tumbling reduced head injuries 65%
10
Coach certification decreased injuries 25%
11
8% of injuries required hospitalization, mostly fractures
12
ACL reconstruction in 70% of cheer ACL tears, 9-month recovery
13
Spotter training reduced falls 41%
14
Rule changes banning back handsprings in pyramids cut risks 50%
15
Ice and compression shortened strain recovery by 3 days
16
15% chronic pain post-injury in college cheerleaders
17
Prevention programs reduced overall injuries 28% in youth
18
22% of injuries recurred within one year
19
Physical therapy success 85% for shoulder injuries
20
Annual medical costs for cheer injuries: $100 million US estimate
21
Balance training cut ankle sprains 39%
22
5% permanent disability from catastrophic injuries 1982-2011
23
Early RTP (<7 days) increased re-injury 2.5 times
24
Foam pits reduced landing injuries 55% in elite gyms
25
Nutrition programs lowered stress fractures 27%
26
76% of cheerleaders returned to full participation post-moderate injury
27
Safety certification for facilities cut ED visits 19%
28
Concussion protocols reduced repeat concussions 34%
29
Brace use post-sprain prevented 45% recurrences
30
Multi-disciplinary rehab shortened knee recovery 22%
Interpretation
Outcomes And Prevention Interpretation
For outcomes and prevention, the data show that while only 67% of cheer injuries caused no time loss, targeted prevention like proper matting cutting stunt injuries by 48% and strength training reducing lower extremity injuries by 32% can meaningfully limit the more serious impacts seen in cases such as 35% requiring surgery and 12% of concussions leading to post-concussion syndrome.
05 · Category
Risk Factors25 stats
01
Stunting accounted for 52% of cheerleading injuries in high school
02
Inadequate spotters increased injury risk by 3.4 times in collegiate cheer
03
Prior injury history raised cheer injury odds by 2.7 (OR=2.7)
04
Female cheerleaders had 1.9 times higher injury rate than males in co-ed teams
05
Pyramids posed 4.2 times higher risk than two-person stunts
06
Tumbling on hard surfaces increased fractures by 2.1 times
07
Lack of proper matting raised stunt injury risk 2.8-fold
08
High competition level (elite) had 1.6 times injury rate vs. recreational
09
Overuse from >20 hours/week training increased strains by 3.1 times
10
Inexperience (<1 year) boosted acute injury risk OR=2.4
11
Basket tosses had 5.1 times higher injury rate than elevators
12
Poor technique in dismounts raised ankle sprain risk 2.9 times
13
Heat and humidity increased heat-related injuries by 4.7 times
14
No warm-up increased muscle strains OR=1.8
15
Multiple roles (flyer/base) raised injury odds 2.2 times
16
Fatigue from late practices boosted errors 3.0 times
17
Unsupervised practice increased catastrophic risks 4.5 times
18
Heavy flyers (>120 lbs) had 2.6 times base injury risk
19
Indoor vs. outdoor tumbling: 1.4 times higher indoor fractures
20
No strength training increased lower extremity injuries 2.3 times
21
Contact with other cheerleaders caused 28% of injuries, OR=3.2
22
Performance time >3 min raised overuse injuries 1.7 times
23
Age <14 in advanced stunts: injury risk OR=2.5
24
No protective gear increased hand injuries 2.1 times
25
Seasonal training peaks caused 40% of strains
Interpretation
Risk Factors Interpretation
Across the risk factors for cheerleading injuries, the biggest pattern is that technique and environment matter as much as anatomy, with pyramids carrying 4.2 times the risk of two-person stunts and inadequate spotters increasing injury risk by 3.4 times in collegiate cheer.
report visual · Key figures
Cheerleading injury burden has risen over time
Across studies, cheerleading injuries and ED visits have increased notably over recent decades, especially among youth.
11%
From 2010-2014, cheerleading injuries increased by 11% annually among children under 18
31%
From 2002-2011, cheerleading ED visits rose 31% for females aged 13-22
15,954
Pediatric cheer ED visits: 15,954 in 2002, rising to 26,397 by 2007
2
Cheerleading injuries increased 2-fold from 1990-2007 in NEISS data
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Cheerleading Injury Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cheerleading-injury-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Cheerleading Injury Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/cheerleading-injury-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Cheerleading Injury Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/cheerleading-injury-statistics.
Sources & references
8 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level