A Kansas City doctor is behind a report about the unique injury risks of cheerleading, and is calling for a series of changes to improve safety — including recognizing it as a sport. Plus: Researchers still know little about why concussions are increasing for female athletes.

Cheerleading is the fastest-growing female sport in the country. A routine usually includes some incredibly athletic and increasingly complex stunts. As KCUR’s Noah Taborda reports, a Kansas City doctor is analyzing injury risks and working on ways to make the sport safer.

Concussions are on the rise for female athletes. But Dr. Jamil Neme, the director of the Concussion Clinic at SSM Health St. Louis University Hospital says there’s very little science to explain why. St. Louis Public Radio’s Marissanne Lewis-Thompson spoke with Neme about the gender disparities in concussion research, and what he thinks has led to this trend.

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Kansas City Today is hosted by Nomin Ujiyediin. It is produced by Olivia Hewitt and KCUR Studios, and edited by Lisa Rodriguez and Gabe Rosenberg.

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