Injuries among Talented Young Dancers: Findings from the UK Centres for Advanced Training

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to characterize the injuries of young dancers attending Centres for Advanced Training. 806 dancers, ages 10-18 years responded to surveys regarding their biological profile, dance experience and injury history, and were examined for their anthropometric profile. Of the 806 dancers, 347 reported an injury. Based on 4 age groups, the total hours of practice per week increased significantly with increasing age. Incidence of injuries per 1000 h of dance practice for dancers ages 11-12 were found to be significantly higher compared to the incidence for dancers ages 13-18 (p<0.05). Foot and ankle and other lower extremities were the most common injury location, and muscle injuries were the most common type of injury. Total months in CAT training (OR=1.044, 95% CI=1.014-1.075) and hours per week in creative style practice (OR=1.282, 95% CI=1.068-1.539) were found to be significantly associated with injuries. In conclusion, both young and mature dancers are exposed to extensive risk of injury. The intensity of training (such as number of months and number of hours of training per week) is important factor that should be taken into account in order to decrease future injuries among young dancers.

Risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in preprofessional dancers: a systematic review

“…Of those that did, 22 investigated female and male participants, 14 focused solely on females, and 1 included males only. The combined total of females reported was 2360 (range 928–58829) and males was 822 (range 230 31–28129). …”

Desafios nutricionais de bailarinos profissionais

“…Também, a entorse do tornozelo é frequente em bailarinos quando, após salto, chegam ao solo com o tornozelo em flexão plantar (32) . Em bailarinas, jovens ou experientes, verifica-se uma elevada taxa lesional, principalmente no joelho, tornozelo e pé, que está significativamente relacionada, entre outros fatores, com o número de horas de treino por semana em treinos coreográficos ou de estilo criativo (46) . Uma das preocupações de bailarinos/as é melhorar a sua potência muscular para executar saltos mais amplos e elevados que são fatores determinantes de performance.…”

The association between body-built and injury occurrence in pre-professional ballet dancers – Separated analysis for the injured body-locations

“…The risk of injury is one of the most common healthhazards in ballet. In general, the lower extremities appear to be the most common injured locations, followed by soft tissue disorders within the lumbosacral region [6][7][8].…”

“…Therefore, identifying any factor associated to injury occurrence in ballet is highly important. While studies repeatedly reported the association between intensity and frequency of training and practice with injury occurrence [8,9], there is a lack of studies that have examined the specific association between the body-built and injury prevalence in ballet dancers. This is especially important for 2 reasons.…”