2021 Volume 7 Issue 1 Pages 85-92
Background: In cheerleading, knee injuries are common and often require surgery that causes long-term withdrawal. The purpose of this study was to examine the intrinsic risk factors of knee injuries in cheerleading.
Methods: Thirty-four high school cheerleaders were evaluated for physical functioning as a potential factor in the development of knee injuries. The evaluated intrinsic risk factors included anthropometric characteristics, knee extension muscle strength, ankle inversion/eversion muscle strength, three types of dorsiflexion range of motion. In addition, we measured active ROMs for the straight leg raise (SLR) and heel-buttock distance (HBD) tests, respectively. The subjects were followed up prospectively for a year.
Results: Six of the 34 subjects sustained knee injuries. A statistical analysis revealed that the subjects with a decreased weight-bearing dorsiflexion range of motion (p=.014, adjusted odds ratio=1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-1.46) had greater risks of sustaining knee injuries.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that weight-bearing dorsiflexion range of motion is associated with the risk of knee injuries in cheerleading.
