Sport
Cheerleading packs tumbling, jumps, stunts, pyramids and tosses into routines of two and a half minutes, built on long practices. Bases lift, press and catch, flyers hold a tight, balanced body in the air, and everyone jumps and lands. In the one strength training study in the sport, elite college cheerleaders raised their front squat by 14% and their power clean by 18% over 16 weeks. Most cheer injuries are sprains and strains, but falls from stunts cause the serious ones, and concussion is the commonest single injury in US high-school cheer.
This guide covers what cheer asks of your body, the common injuries, and the safety rules that protect cheerleaders: surfaces, spotting, pyramid heights and basket tosses, set out by governing body and date. It covers concussion rules in England and the US, wrists, backs and ankles, and eating enough. It includes a 15-minute warm-up and a strength and landing workout, with a 3D demo of every move.
In a large US study, stunts caused 52 to 60% of cheer injuries and 96% of concussions. Over 40 years of US school and college sport, cheerleading had 82 of the 470 catastrophic head and neck injuries outside American football.
After a 2006-07 rule allowed basket tosses only on mats, grass or rubberised track, catastrophic basket toss injuries fell from 1.55 to 0.40 per million cheerleaders. Head injuries in children fell after USA Cheer banned the "double down" dismount below college level.
Every current rulebook bans stunts, pyramids, tosses and tumbling on concrete, asphalt, wet or uneven surfaces and requires trained spotters. Squads with the best-qualified coaches had about half the injury rate in one study.
In England, SportCheer England supports the UK guidelines for grassroots sport, with no competition before day 21. USA Cheer requires a healthcare provider's clearance and a six-phase return, with stunting last.
In 13 elite college cheerleaders, a supervised 16-week programme raised front squat by 14%, power clean by 18% and shoulder press by 18%, with no change in body weight. No programme has been tested on cheer injuries, but strength training cuts injuries in other sports.
All 19 college cheerleaders in one study ate too little for their training on practice days, and about a third of cheerleaders in two surveys screened at risk of an eating disorder.
Competition routines last at most 2 minutes 30 seconds. In 16 elite German cheerleaders, heart rate stayed at or above 80% of maximum for 67 to 80% of a full routine and blood lactate reached 6.4 mmol/L, while ordinary training was mostly light. US college cheerleaders practised about 205 days a year, for 2.8 hours a session. The Compendium of Physical Activities gives competitive cheerleading 6.0 metabolic equivalents (METs), an estimated value.
Flyers are lifted and thrown and hold a tight, balanced body; bases lift, hold and catch; spotters protect the flyer's head, neck and shoulders. Basket toss height went most with the bases' core strength and stability, then their power. In dismounts, the flyer's own landing skill set the force, about 6 times body weight on average (2.1 to 14.9), more than the bases' catch did.
In 12 college cheerleaders, landings from flips had 84% higher peak forces and loaded 148% faster than straight landings, and harder surfaces raised loading and rolled the ankle further. This is a laboratory study.
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Eighteen college cheerleaders had fitness similar to other college athletes. In the last week before the 2022 world championships, 15 German national team athletes showed falling jump height and rising signs of muscle damage, and most weren't fully recovered by competition day.
In 46 young women randomised for 14 weeks, cheer practice twice a week raised bone density and jump height more than usual activity. Cheer counts as a high-power sport, and teenagers in high-power school sports had stronger shin bones than teenagers in the study's no-power group, an association.
The sites the studies point to:
Leg, hip and trunk strength, pressing and pulling strength for lifting and catching, landing control, wrist and shoulder strength for tumbling, and flexibility you can control at the end of its range.
Each study counted injuries its own way, from emergency visits to time lost, so figures in different lines aren't comparable.
The numbers, by group:
Stunts caused 52 to 60% of injuries, and bases and spotters took 34% of stunt injuries; the ankle, low back and wrist were most often hurt again. In US emergency departments, collisions between teammates were the commonest cause (29.3%), then stunting (19.8%).
Over 40 years of US school and college sport, cheerleading had 82 of the 470 catastrophic head and neck injuries outside American football, more than any other sport, and more than half (52%) of those in girls and women. Of 54 catastrophic cheer injuries in 2002 to 2017, 52% were to the head and 32% to the neck, flyers had 70%, basket tosses caused 35%, and 69% happened in practice. Pyramids and basket tosses caused 17 of the 29 studied from 1982 to 2002. We give counts rather than rates, because nobody knows reliably how many people cheer.
Concussion was the commonest diagnosis in US high-school cheer (31.1% of injuries), though at a lower rate than in other girls' sports. Emergency visits for concussion and head injury rose by 44% in 2010 to 2019 while other cheer injuries fell. University cheerleaders took about 2 head impacts per practice on sensors, and 37% of concussed cheerleaders who reported no symptoms still had abnormal test scores. Our concussion guide covers the graduated return.
Ankle sprains were over 21% of injuries in North Carolina high schools and 24 to 45% of injuries in surveys of high-school and college cheerleaders. Our sprained ankle and chronic ankle instability guides cover treatment.
Wrist and hand injuries were 15.6% (high school) and 19.3% (college) of surveyed injuries, and wrist pain from tumbling is shared with gymnastics. Our gymnast's wrist, sprained wrist and broken wrist guides cover these.
Back injuries were 16.1% of high-school injuries, and basing or spotting went with low back strains. A stress fracture in the spine (spondylolysis) has been reported in young cheerleaders, in a small case series. In Canada, 8% of cheer injuries were to the neck or spine, half from falling from or basing a stunt. Our back pain, spondylolisthesis and neck pain guides cover these.
US emergency departments saw about 85,000 cheer injuries to the head and face in 5- to 19-year-olds in 2014 to 2023, about a quarter of them concussions. Fractures were few (3.5%) but had the highest rate of hospital admission.
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Stunting and practice; bases and spotters for low back strains; flyers for catastrophic injuries; college cheerleaders for concussion; squads with less qualified coaches; the weeks after a break; and, in pooled studies, hard surfaces and a previous injury. These are associations.
No injury prevention programme has been tested in cheerleading. The rules are each governing body's own; the strength, knee and ankle evidence comes from other sports, and each note says so.
From 2006-07, US school and college rules allowed basket tosses only on mats, grass or rubberised track. Catastrophic basket toss injuries fell from 1.55 to 0.40 per million cheerleaders, 74% lower allowing a year for the rule to take effect, with none in the last 7 years studied. Other high-school injuries fell too, so other changes may have helped.
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After USA Cheer banned the double down dismount below college level in 2012-13, head injuries and injuries from collisions between teammates in 6- to 18-year-olds seen in US emergency departments fell. Injuries peaked when cheerleaders came back after breaks.
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In laboratory tests, concrete and vinyl over concrete protected against a serious head injury only in falls of less than about 15 cm. Only spring floors and 10 cm landing mats over foam floors protected from over 3.2 m, the height of two-level stunts, and longer, wetter grass protected more than short, dry grass. Most of the 15 most serious falls in one study happened on turf, grass, foam or wood floors.
In North Carolina high schools, squads with the best-qualified coaches, by education, qualifications and training, had about half the injury rate of squads with the least qualified, an association. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) asks for coaches trained and certified in safety and spotting.
Across 25 trials in other sports, strength training cut sports injuries to about a third, while stretching programmes made no difference. USA Cheer's college rules ask every squad to adopt a conditioning and strength programme.
In 41 college cheerleaders, 6 weeks of strength and conditioning left the shoulders less loose at the front, and stiffer, than in a comparison group. Injuries weren't measured.
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Warm-ups with strength, jump-and-land and balance work halved anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries across sports and cut ACL tears without contact by about two-thirds in women and girls. Lace-up ankle braces cut ankle injuries by about two-thirds in high-school basketball players, and across trials braces cut repeat sprains by about two-thirds. None has been tested in cheer.
No cheer injury prevention programme, wrist support or flyer helmet has been tested; reviews call for prevention studies. Stretching programmes didn't prevent injuries in other sports.
A 22-week programme for Japan's top university team, supervised by a strength and conditioning coach:
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In German national teams, jump height fell and signs of muscle damage rose in the last week before the world championships, and most athletes weren't fully recovered on the day. The strength study's last 3 weeks kept a few heavy lifts in short sessions. Our suggestion: cut training volume over the last 7 to 10 days and don't add new skills that week.
Full routines are short and hard, while ordinary practice is mostly light, so the authors suggest training both: aerobic fitness for recovery between drills, and harder work for routines. Full-outs already train routine fitness; add 1 or 2 short interval sessions a week before the competition season (our suggestion).
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No jump-training trial has been done in cheerleaders. Our gymnastics guide reports a trial in which two extra jump sessions a week for 6 weeks raised young gymnasts' jump height, and our splits guide explains how strength at the end of your range builds flexibility you can use (our reading).
Off-season or early season: 2 or 3 strength sessions a week, as in the study, with jump and landing work twice a week. In season: 1 or 2 strength sessions early in the week, with no heavy legs or maximal jumps in the 48 hours before a competition (our suggestion).
Young cheerleaders: our children's guide explains that supervised strength training is safe, and that training more hours a week than your age in years went with more overuse injuries.
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The International Cheer Union (ICU) runs the world championships and recognises national federations such as SportCheer England and USA Cheer. Its rules: athletes are supervised by a qualified coach at all official functions; coaches require proficiency before progression; every team has an emergency response plan; stunts, pyramids, tosses and tumbling "may not be performed on concrete, asphalt, wet or uneven surfaces or, surfaces with obstructions"; required spotters are your own team's members, trained in spotting; and no tumbling or stunting in a hard cast or walking boot. Its 2027 age grid doesn't recommend competition for its Tiny age group (6 and under).
The International All Star Federation (IASF) rules for 2025 to 2028 (updated 16 July 2025) set the same general safety rules, with routines of at most 2 minutes 30 seconds. The British Cheerleading Association (BCA) says its competition rules comply with the IASF's technical and safety rules, follows the SportCheerUK age grid, and limits each athlete to 6 routines at an event.
Published 26 May 2026:
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US high schools follow a rule book from the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) and USA Cheer, which is sold rather than published. USA Cheer's 17 March 2026 announcement lists the 2026-27 changes, including two catchers for any release from upright to lying flat and no top person passing over another. USA Cheer recommends that younger school squads follow the same rules with extra limits on tosses.
The AAP's 2024 policy statement (21 October 2024) asks for a yearly pre-participation check; coaches trained and certified in safety, especially spotting; skills matched to age and ability; no cheer on concrete, asphalt, dirt, vinyl floors, or wet or uneven surfaces; pyramids no higher than two people, with spotters always present; written emergency plans; concussion education, with no return without medical clearance; and uniforms and language that don't suggest a particular body type.
The AAP's two-person limit is stricter than USA Cheer's college limit of two and a half body lengths. Follow the rules your squad competes under (our reading).
SportCheer England supports the UK guidelines for grassroots sport: if in doubt, sit them out. No sport that day, an assessment within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111 (the National Health Service's urgent advice line), rest for 24 to 48 hours, a graduated return, and no competition before day 21. It asks for at least one first-aider at every training session, and for coaches to take concussion education.
USA Cheer's guidelines (version dated 19 May 2022): an athlete with a suspected concussion is removed at once, doesn't return that day, and needs clearance by a healthcare provider, in line with state law, before returning. Then six phases of at least a day each, with stunting last:
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We found no concussion policy from the British Cheerleading Association or the International Cheer Union. In the UK, the grassroots guidelines cover all sport.
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All 19 college cheerleaders in one study had low energy availability (too little food for the training) on practice days, and 52.6% reported problems with their periods. None had low bone density.
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About a third of college and competitive cheerleaders screened at risk of an eating disorder in two surveys. Both found the most body dissatisfaction in midriff uniforms, and flyers were at higher risk than bases. The AAP advises uniforms that suit every body and language that doesn't suggest a particular body type.
In a Swedish survey, 21.6% of current and 53.5% of retired competitive cheerleaders reported psychological abuse; a good relationship with the coach went with less of it.
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In Norway, 67% of gymnasts and cheerleaders leaked urine and 41% had never heard of the pelvic floor. It's common and treatable: see a pelvic health physiotherapist, and our pelvic floor guide.
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Weighing and comments about bodies have no place in cheer coaching, as our eating disorders guide explains. Flying is about skill. If you're told to lose weight to fly, talk to someone you trust or the club's welfare officer.
Built on the site's warm-up guide and our gymnastics warm-up (editorial). No cheer warm-up has been tested on injuries; USA Cheer's college rules say a warm-up should come before every cheer activity.
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The movement on the figure: Snapdown to athletic landing
The warm-up's wrist, trunk and landing work, and the strength workout's main lifts. Each has a 3D demo.
3D demoSnapdown to athletic landingBeginner · No equipment
3D demoSingle-leg hop and stickIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoTuck jumpIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoQuadruped wrist rocksBeginner · No equipment
3D demoWrist & forearm flowBeginner · No equipment
3D demoHollow body holdIntermediate · No equipment
3D demoLocust pose (Salabhasana)Beginner · No equipment
3D demoHang power cleanAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoBarbell front squatAdvanced · A barbell
3D demoRear-foot-elevated split squat (Bulgarian split squat)Intermediate · A bench or box
3D demoStanding overhead pressIntermediate · A barbell + A dumbbell
3D demoScapular pull-upIntermediate · Pull-up bar
3D demoAb wheel rollout from the kneesAdvanced · An ab wheel
3D demoSingle-leg standBeginner · A wallThe first two are new: a strength and landing workout and a 15-minute warm-up. The gymnastics workouts share cheer's wrists, shoulders, landings and flexibility; the others add technique for the lifts, jumps, ankles, the pelvic floor and light exercise after a concussion.
A 50-minute cheer strength session: landings and tuck jumps, power cleans, front squats, split squats, hip thrusts, presses, rows, wrist work and trunk holds.
50 minIntermediate21 movesA barbell, A bench or boxA 15-minute cheer warm-up: skips, wrist rocks, shoulder circles, hollow and arch holds, leg swings, straddle holds, landings, tuck jumps and flyer balance.
15 minBeginner19 movesA band, A wallA gymnastics conditioning session: jumps from the youth vault trial, landings, wrist and shoulder strength, wall handstands, and hollow and arch holds.
45 minIntermediate22 movesOther / check instructions, A stepA gymnastics warm-up: skips, wrist circles and rocks, shoulder work, cat-cow, hollow and arch holds, leg swings, short splits holds and landings.
15 minBeginner18 movesA band, A wallWrist mobility and forearm strength for desk work, climbing, push-ups and handstands.
10 minBeginner7 movesA wall, A dumbbellA 25-minute band routine for healthy shoulders: move the shoulder and upper back through their range, then strengthen the rotator cuff and shoulder blades.
25 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bandFront-split and middle-split days: hip flexor, hamstring and inner-thigh stretches, then strength in the stretched position. Alternate them 3 to 4 times a week.
25 minIntermediate16 movesA wall, An anchor pointA 20-minute warm-up that trains your knees to track over your toes: side-hip strength, squats and lunges with alignment practice, balance and quiet landings.
20 minBeginner10 movesA wall, A bandAn advanced jump training session: pogo hops, box jumps, split squat jumps, broad jumps and depth jumps.
30 minAdvanced8 movesA bench or box, A stepA staged jump session for 8 weeks: landings and small jumps, then box and broad jumps, then depth jumps, each followed by squats, hinges and calf work.
40 minIntermediate16 movesA step, A bench or boxA 15-minute barefoot routine for stronger toes, arches, calves and ankles, finishing with balance. You need only a towel, a wall and a resistance band.
15 minBeginner11 movesA wall, Other / check instructionsA 40-minute technique session for the power clean: the rack and hang positions, the jump and the turnover, light hang power cleans, then cleans from the floor.
40 minIntermediate14 movesCardio machine, A wallA 30-minute practice session for the front squat: loosen your wrists and upper back, groove an upright squat, then find your grip and depth with a light bar.
30 minBeginner12 movesA wall, A bench or boxA 5-minute daily pelvic floor workout for women and men: slow holds and quick squeezes, three times a day, with how to find the right muscles.
5 minBeginner2 movesNo equipmentA 20-minute light session after a concussion: a symptom check, 10 to 15 minutes of easy cycling or walking, gentle bodyweight moves and a cool-down.
20 minBeginner8 movesCardio machine, A bench or boxTwo or three strength sessions a week fit the off-season; drop to one or two in season.
A 12-week calisthenics plan for beginners: three bodyweight sessions a week with push-up, pull-up, squat and dip ladders, and a bar if you have one.
3 training days40 minBeginner3 days a weekA 12-week beginner barbell program: squat every session, alternate bench and row with press and deadlift, and add weight each time until it stalls.
3 training days50 minBeginner2 days a weekTwo full-body strength sessions a week: the minimum that meets health guidelines, with every set, rep and rest, and an 8-week progression.
2 training days45 minBeginner3 days a weekA weekly workout plan for women: three strength days, cardio and pelvic floor training, with the evidence on periods, pregnancy and menopause.
3 training days45 minBeginnerThe PAR-Q+ (Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire for Everyone) asks about a heart condition or high blood pressure, chest pain, dizziness or losing consciousness, other long-term conditions and their medicines, a bone or joint problem that activity could make worse, and being told to exercise only under supervision. If you answer yes to any, check with your doctor or a qualified exercise professional first, and delay if you're ill.
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Concussion is cheer's commonest single injury, a previous concussion went with more concussions across school sports, and symptoms can be missed. No stunting, tumbling or tosses until your rules' return is complete: the UK guidelines in England, or USA Cheer's six phases and clearance. Our concussion guide has the stages.
Wrist pain that lasts or keeps coming back needs checking. Our gymnast's wrist guide explains how to cut the load on the hands while it settles.
Back pain that lasts more than a couple of weeks, or is worse arching backwards, needs checking (our suggestion): see our back pain and spondylolisthesis guides.
Ankle sprains are cheer's commonest injury and the most often repeated in stunting. Braces cut repeat sprains in trials in other sports. Use our sprained ankle guide, and wear a brace for practice.
Talk to your GP, and to someone you trust or the club's welfare officer about comments on weight. Our eating disorders and menstrual cycle guides have more. Nobody needs to change their weight to cheer.
It's common and treatable: see a pelvic health physiotherapist, and our pelvic floor guide.
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Our epilepsy guide puts gymnastics in the International League Against Epilepsy's group 2. Stunting isn't named, and a seizure while basing or flying could injure a teammate too, so agree a role with your neurologist (our reading).
The NHS advises against sports with a risk of falling or bumping your tummy. Leave out stunting, tumbling and tosses (our suggestion), talk to your midwife or GP, and see our pregnancy guide.
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The NHS advises seeing a GP if you've fainted, and calling 999 if you faint while exercising; the PAR-Q+ asks you to check first if you get chest pain or dizziness. Do that before you train.
The ICU doesn't recommend competition for children aged 6 and under, only practice and exhibitions. Look for a club whose coaches hold safety and spotting qualifications.
Don't move them, and call 999. The NHS says to call 999 for new numbness or weakness in any part of the body after a head injury, or back pain with pain, tingling, weakness or numbness in both legs, or after a serious accident. Under the UK guidelines, only healthcare professionals with the right training should move someone with a suspected neck injury.
The NHS says to call 999 if someone has hit their head and:
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Stop: if in doubt, sit them out. No more cheer that day, and an assessment within 24 hours by a healthcare professional or NHS 111. Contact NHS 111 straight away if they're being sick, feel dizzy or take medicine that thins the blood.
Go to A&E (accident and emergency) or call 999 if the wrist or arm is numb, tingling or has pins and needles, a bone is sticking out, there's a bad cut that's bleeding heavily, or it has changed colour or shape or is at an odd angle. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, very swollen or bruised, or stiff and hard to move.
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Call 999 or go to A&E if you heard a crack, the joint has changed shape or points at an odd angle, it's numb or tingling, or the skin is blue, grey or cold. Get help from NHS 111 if it's very painful, very swollen, or you can't put weight on it or walk more than a few steps.
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Go to A&E if you can't move your arm, or the shoulder looks out of place or has changed shape.
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A chipped or broken tooth needs a dentist: keep any piece in milk or saliva. Call 999 or go to A&E for a nosebleed that won't stop, clear, watery fluid from the nose, a cut that won't stop bleeding, or a bad cut on the face.
Call 999 if someone faints while exercising, or has chest pain that doesn't go away, spreads to the arms, neck, jaw, stomach or back, or comes with sweating, feeling sick, light-headedness or breathlessness.
Heat illness is rare in cheer, but heat exhaustion needs a cool place, fluids and cooling. Call 999 if someone is still unwell after 30 minutes of rest, cooling and fluids, or has a very high temperature, hot skin that isn't sweating, a fast heartbeat or breathing, confusion, a fit or loss of consciousness.
Its overall injury rate is lower than in most US high-school sports, but concussion is the commonest diagnosis, and cheerleading has had more catastrophic head and neck injuries than any US school or college sport outside American football.
It depends on the measure. Cheer's overall injury and concussion rates are lower than football's, while its count of catastrophic injuries is high, and fair comparisons per participant aren't possible because nobody knows reliably how many people cheer.
Most of the most serious falls in one study happened on turf, grass, foam or wood floors, and in laboratory tests only spring floors and landing mats over foam protected at two-level heights. Mats help; the rules still require trained spotters, qualified coaches and skills learned in order.
Bases and spotters took a third of stunt injuries and had more low back strains, while flyers had most catastrophic injuries. Every role carries risk.
No study links a flyer's weight with safety. Eating too little for the training was found in every college cheerleader in one study, and about a third of cheerleaders screened at risk of an eating disorder. The AAP advises against language that suggests a body type.
In the one cheer strength study, elite college athletes raised their power clean by 17.7% and front squat by 14.0% in 16 weeks, with no change in body weight. Across sports, strength training cut injuries to about a third.
Stretching programmes didn't prevent sports injuries across 25 trials, while strength training did. Short stretches in a warm-up are fine for range (our warm-up guide).
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Nearly all cheer concussions came from stunts, emergency visits for concussion rose while other cheer injuries fell, and over a third of concussed cheerleaders who reported no symptoms still had abnormal test scores.
Lifts that build strength and power for lifting and catching, such as front squats, split squats, hip thrusts, presses and rows, with power cleans once a coach has taught you, plus landing practice, trunk work and wrist strength. In the one cheer strength study, a 16-week programme built on these lifts raised front squat by 14% and power clean by 18%. Our strength and landing workout puts them together.
Bases need leg, back and pressing strength to lift and hold a flyer, and core strength went with higher basket tosses. Flyers need a tight trunk, balance and good landings, because a flyer's own landing skill set the force of a dismount. Both benefit from strength training; no study has tested a programme for flyers alone.
Its overall injury rate is lower than in most US high-school sports, but falls from stunts can be catastrophic, and cheer has had more catastrophic head and neck injuries than any school sport outside American football. Safety rules on surfaces, spotting and tosses have cut the most serious injuries.
Ankle sprains, then wrist and hand, low back and knee injuries; concussion is the commonest single diagnosis in US high-school cheer. Most injuries happen in practice and during stunts.
Cheer's governing bodies ban stunts, pyramids, tosses and tumbling on concrete, asphalt, wet or uneven surfaces. USA Cheer's college rules allow basket tosses, flips and the highest pyramids only on a mat, grass or rubberised track. In laboratory tests, spring floors and landing mats over foam gave the most protection.
It depends on your rules. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends pyramids no higher than two people, with spotters always present, while USA Cheer's college rules allow up to two and a half body lengths, with two spotters for each person above two high. Competition rules set limits by level.
In England, SportCheer England supports the UK guidelines: off at once, assessed within 24 hours, a graduated return, and no competition before day 21. Under USA Cheer's guidelines, a healthcare provider must clear the athlete, and stunting comes back last, starting with chest-level stunts and an extra spotter.
No study has tested jump training in cheerleaders. In young gymnasts, two extra jump sessions a week for 6 weeks raised jump height, and leg strength and flexibility you can control both help. Our jump and splits guides explain how to build them.
Tumbling puts your body weight through your hands, as in gymnastics, and wrist and hand injuries are common in cheer. Ease off skills on your hands while it settles, and get wrist pain that lasts or keeps coming back checked. Our gymnast's wrist guide explains what to do.
Children can start in recreational classes, but the International Cheer Union doesn't recommend competition for children aged 6 and under, and UK competitions use an age grid. Look for qualified coaches: in one study, squads with the best-qualified coaches had about half the injuries.
Exercise education for people who play sport, not a personal prescription or a diagnosis, and clinical review of these pages is pending. Check with a GP or physiotherapist before hard training if you have a heart condition, chest pain, dizziness or an injury that isn't settling, and stop for sharp or increasing pain. Health disclaimer.
