Lower leg and foot contributions to turnout in female pre-professional dancers: A 3D kinematic analysis

Abstract

Turnout is a central element of classical ballet which involves sustained external rotation of the lower limbs during dance movements. Lower leg and foot compensation mechanisms which are often used to increase turnout have been attributed to the high incidence of lower limb injury in dancers. Evaluation of dancers' leg posture is needed to provide insight into the lower limb kinematic strategies used to achieve turnout. The primary purpose of this study was to use 3D kinematic analyses to determine the lower leg and foot compensations that are incorporated by female university dancers to accentuate their turnout. Active and passive external tibiofemoral rotation (TFR) was also measured. A moderate-strong negative relationship was observed between hip external rotation (HER) and foot abduction in the three first position conditions. A moderate negative relationship was found between passive TFR and foot abduction in all first position conditions. Our findings suggest dancers are more likely to pronate, than rotate the knee to compensate for limited HER. Dancers with a limited capacity to pronate may force additional rotation via the knee. Ongoing research would benefit from more in-depth analyses of the foot/ankle complex using a multi-segment foot model.

<p>Mechanical Demands at the Ankle Joint During Saut de Chat and Temps levé Jumps in Classically Trained Ballet Dancers</p>

“…Participants wore tight-fitting spandex clothes, and 16 reflective markers were placed bilaterally on participants’ feet, legs, and thigh and around the pelvis according to Plug-in-Gait lower body model guidelines (Vicon, Centennial, Colorado, USA). Three-dimensional lower extremity marker position data were collected using a 10-camera motion capture system (Vicon, Vantage V8, Centennial, Colorado, USA) sampling at 250 Hz 28,29. GRF and moment data were collected using two in-ground force plates (Advanced Mechanical Technology Inc., Waterton, MA, USA) sampling at 1000 Hz 27…”

Effect of low back pain on clinical-functional factors and its associated potential risk of chronicity in adolescent dancers of classical ballet: cross-sectional study

“…Studies with kinematics evaluations of dancers with and without low back pain, that is, assessments of the articular movement of the lumbosacral spine and the hip joint, show that pain does not influence the joint mobility of the spine of dancers with low back pain [ 22 , 23 ]. Studies on ankle kinematics [ 20 ] observed that a significant decrease in the height of the medial longitudinal arch can induces decreases in the body stability during landing in jumping movements [ 46 ]. Thus, the foot support base is a main key point for integrating greater body stability and balance for dancers [ 7 , 18 ].…”

“…The evidence of changes in foot posture, leads to understanding of other factors, such as the intrinsic and extrinsic muscle strength of the foot [ 46 ], which in turn may be related to the time of practice and frequency of training, given that mild low back pain promoted a supine foot posture, while moderate and high levels promoted a neutral foot posture. According to Carter et al [ 20 ], dancers are more likely to pronate their foot than rotate their knee to compensate for limited external hip rotation. Dancers with limited foot pronation ability may force additional rotation through the knee [ 20 ].…”

“…Another noteworthy aspect is the lack of plantar support over the midfoot region; due to dance practice, which results in changes in body balance that lead to great mid-lateral oscillations [ 18 , 19 ]. Some studies focusing on postural adjustments reveal that dancers present increased lumbar lordosis, pelvic tilt [ 9 ], varus knees [ 20 ], and foot pronation [ 21 ].…”

Correlation between degree of hallux valgus and kinematics in classical ballet: A pilot study

“…Appropriate turnout should be accomplished by external rotation of hip joint [16]. When the angle of hip external rotation is insufficient, turnout is often augmented by other joints in the lower extremity and lumbar region along the kinematic chain [15,17,18]. In such forced turnout, there is hyperpronation of subtalar joints, called "rolling in."…”