A - 04 The Impact of Season Progression on Concussion Recovery In all Star Cheerleaders

Little has been done to investigate the impact of cheerleading season progression on recovery trajectories of sports-related concussions (SRC). The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of season progression on concussion recovery in All Star cheerleaders. Female All Star cheerleaders (n = 52) aged 8–18 (13.9.0¬ ± 2.5 years) were evaluated in a specialty concussion clinic for SRC during the 2020–2023 seasons. Cheerleaders were sorted into groups based on when their injury occurred (T1 = tryout/practice portion of season, T2 = beginning of competition season, T3 = end of season/coveted competitions). Mann–Whitney U Tests were used to evaluate differences between groups. Most All Star cheerleaders were evaluated for SRC during T2 (n = 32) compared to T1 (n = 12) and T3 (n = 8). Cheerleaders injured during T2 reported significantly lower PCSS scores (M = 21.0, IQR = 15.0–37.0) compared to T1 (M = 52.5, IQR = 27.5–60.8) and T3 (M = 46.9, IQR = 34.0–90.0), p = 0.01. There were no significant differences in days since injury (DSI; T1 M = 5.67, SD = 7.84; T2 M = 6.13, SD = 8.64; T3 M = 3.50, SD = 2.67) and evaluation of overall recovery time across groups (T1 M = 20.92, SD = 10.19; T2 M = 24.25, SD = 17.85; T3 M = 16.38, SD = 13.89; p > 0.05). Overall, cheerleaders injured during the beginning of competition season had the lowest PCSS scores upon evaluation, which may be due to presenting to clinic further from their injury. Though not significant, All Star cheerleaders were evaluated sooner during the coveted competitions portion of the season. Despite the small sample size, the pattern of results suggests that greater incentive and pressure to participate in coveted competitions may lead to quicker recovery times.