A-05 Retrospective Comparison of Concussion Recovery Between School and All Star Cheerleaders

Abstract

Abstract Purpose: Though often categorized together, All Star and school cheerleading are vastly different in concussion risk due to competitiveness and skill difficulty. The purpose of the current study was to compare concussion rate and recovery in school and All Star cheerleaders diagnosed with sports-related concussions (SRC). Methods: This study was a retrospective comparison of cheerleaders (aged 8–18 years) who were evaluated in a specialty concussion clinic and diagnosed with SRC from 2020–2022. A total of 64 female cheerleaders were included (33 school and 31 All Star). We compared days to clinic, prior history of concussion, Post-Concussion Symptom Scale (PCSS) total score, symptom provocation on the Vestibular Ocular Motor Screen, and recovery time in days for each group. Results: Reports of at least one prior concussion were higher in All Star cheerleaders (61%) compared to school cheerleaders (39%). Initial evaluation occurred an average of 4.0 ± 5.8 days post injury for All Star cheerleaders, with recovery occurring in 23.6 ± 17.4 days compared to school cheerleaders who were evaluated for initial evaluation an average of 4.2 ± 4.3 days post injury and recovered in 27.6 ± 19.7 days (P > 0.05). All Star cheerleaders experienced greater symptom provocation (P = 0.05) on horizontal vestibular-ocular reflex compared to school cheerleaders. There was no difference in symptom reporting on the PCSS (P = 0.23). Conclusions: Higher rates of prior concussion were reported in All Star cheerleaders. This may be a function of the more difficult skills being performed. Future research should investigate the impact of skill level and mechanism of injury on SRCs in All Star Cheerleading.