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Insight
An internet blog on the most dangerous sports ranks
cheerleading as the most likely way to get injured.
Fans of the popular website
have voted
cheerleading as the most dangerous of all sports globally.
The combination of aerobics and choreography make the sport
extremely dangerous. In the US alone, there were more than
20,000 reported injuries last year alone, making cheerleading
the world’s most injury-prone sport.
Horse-riding comes in at number two, while lacrosse is the
highest ranked team sport. Three codes of football are present
in the list: American football, soccer and rugby league.
Australia’s most dangerous sport, as reported in 2006, is
Australian Rules, but this sport failed to reach the top ten list.
The Top Ten List
1. Cheerleading
2. Horse riding
3. Lacrosse
4. Gymnastics
5. Soccer
6. Bull riding
7. Motocross
8. American football
9. Hockey
10. Rugby League
Renowned knee surgeon Merv Cross
has warned sports people against the
much-hyped LARS procedure, saying the
operation is guaranteed to eventually fail.
Cross, who advised Roosters doctor John
Orchard on how Anthony Cherrington
should deal with his latest shocking
knee injury, has spoken out against
the increasingly popular ligament
augmentation and reconstruction proce-
dure he says puts athletes at high risk of
“disasters and complications”.
LARS has become attractive for athletes
with anterior cruciate ligament tears
because it returns them to sport eight
weeks earlier than a traditional operation.
“It sounds very good - you put a bit of
string in the knee and you’re back quicker
than normal,” said Cross, a knee surgeon
for 40 years.
“It’s a simple operation and you’ll find
people who’ll say it’s the best thing since
sliced bread. But it’s garbage. It’s not a
miracle. To do the LARS when you’ve got
living alternatives is wrong and it’s risky.
It’s OK to experiment on goats. But we
are experimenting on humans.”
The procedure is banned in the US. It
gained prominence when athletes such as
AFL players Nick Malceski, Brad Fisher,
David Rodan and Brett Ebert chose it.
Others recipients include basketballer
Renae Camino, rugby league player Luke
Covell, netballer Vanessa Ware and golfer
Nick O’Hern.
Because the procedure is new, little data
is available. Central to Cross’s concern is
that the artificial ligament used can cause
major problems, including inflammatory
reactions and infection, and repair is
difficult. Early arthritis is also possible.
“It’s not an easy secondary operation
when it fails,” said Cross, who tested
artificial ligaments in the 1970s and ‘80s,
all of which failed. “Taking a broken graft
out of a joint is very difficult.”
Cross repaired earlier knee injuries in
Malceski and Cherrington, but whereas
Malceski went for the LARS the second
time, Cherrington stuck to the older
method, which involves grafting from the
hamstring or patellar tendon to replace
the torn ACL.
“Cherrington didn’t do the LARS this time
because he’s young and if it were to fail
in a few years he’d have all the difficulties
of having a graft, putting it in enlarged
tunnels in the bone, possible infection...”
Cross said.
“This is a mechanical implement and it’s
guaranteed to fail with time. The LARS
will get you back a few weeks quicker. But
for someone to sacrifice a knee for eight
weeks is unjustifiable.
“You buy yourself some time but you have
all thepossibledisastersandcomplications
that can eventuate. You only use artificial
joints if there’s no alternative. Putting it
into a young person, knowing it’s going to
eventually fail, is wrong.”
Former West Coast Eagles doctor Peter
Annear said that in his experience, LARS
procedures had been successful.
“The controversy, however, is over
how long it will last,” he said. “The only
scientific data we have, from China, tells
us that after five years the recipients are
still doing well. But that’s no guarantee
that it will be going well from five to 10
years after the operation.”
Annear said, the material in the LARS
ligament “might last longer than previous
synthetic ligaments.” However, he warns
his patients of the pitfalls before perform-
ing the 45-minute procedure.
“The reasons I would do a LARS is if
the athlete is desperate to get back, say,
to compete in the Olympics or some
upcoming big match. If the patient wants
something that is proven to work, they
should go for the [traditional] graft, which
is a much slower recovery but we know
will last 10 years or more.”
Surgeon says LARS Knees Sure To Fail
Sydney Morning Herald, 20 February 2011
Cheerleading: Most Dangerous Sport
Image by Carole Carey
