Personality, stress, and injuries in professional ballet dancers

Hamilton, Linda H.; Hamilton, William G.; Meltzer, James D.; Marshall, Peter; Molnar, Marika

doi:10.1177/036354658901700219

Cited by 97 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 12 publications

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“…Of course, it is worthwhile mentioning that most of the dancers described cases in which pain developed into a serious and chronic injury just because they did not pay proper attention to it. These findings are consistent with the findings of the research carried out by Hamilton et al (1989), concerning female dancers' endurance of pain.…”

Section: Findings/resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

“…Research on the personality traits, pressures and injury types concerning dancers in national ballets of America showed that dancers are extremely capable people subject to excessive injuries and pain, presuming that continuous engagement in dancing may be associated with pain-praising strategies allowing an injured dancer to keep on dancing (Hamilton et al 1989). Moreover, there is research showing that dancers do not seek medical help for their injuries, a practice which may lead to mental disturbance and deterioration of the injury through increasing fear and personal uncertainty (Encarnacion et al 2001).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The body as a tool: professional classical ballet dancers’ embodiment

Alexias

Dimitropoulou

2011

Research in Dance Education

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This article is a qualitative study, which adopts the approach of social construction in order to comprehend the role played by the body in the formation of social behaviour. Using the concept of embodiment, professional ballet dancers have been chosen in order to investigate the particular attitude they form towards their bodies. The use of their bodies as tools on which they invest (capital) and which are expected to 'indemnify' them in the future, show the difference between this attitude and the one prevailing in the western commercial societies (the body as an object of short-lived delight and pleasure). The phenomenology of the healthy, athletic, thin and injured body offers the possibility of understanding the social dimension of the body, as generated in the sociology of the body. Professional ballet dancers form an almost ascetic, abstinent attitude towards their bodies in order to have it work at the limits of its biological basis (overcoming even pain and serious injuries) and offer them profits (in a wider sense including financial remuneration as well as prestige and professional development and distinction). The presentation of the way in which professional ballet dancers use their bodies is an example which may increase the understanding of the function of embodiment in the generation of social behaviour.

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Section: Findings/resultssupporting

confidence: 92%

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The body as a tool: professional classical ballet dancers’ embodiment

Alexias

Dimitropoulou

2011

Research in Dance Education

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“…Several sports and dance reports suggest that older age is a risk factor for injury. 44,[69][70][71][72] In contrast, other dance companies report younger dancers, with less professional experience, accounted for the greatest incidence of injury as well as the greatest number of injuries per dancer. 3,38 These findings suggest that younger dancers may require some sort of transitional program to assist them in managing the new stresses of professional dance.…”

Section: Gendermentioning

confidence: 99%

Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders in Dancers

Bronner¹,

Ojofeitimi²,

Spriggs³

2003

Physical Therapy Reviews

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INTRODUCTIONDancers represent a medically under-served occupational group at high risk for work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSD). They are highly trained individuals who perform repetitive, reproducible, and consistent movements. 1 The annual incidence of injury in professional dancers is 67-95%. [2][3][4][5][6] Traditionally, dancers are considered to be both artists and athletes. Accordingly, medical practitioners have adopted a sports medicine model in the care of dancers within their respective organisations. Activities such as annual screenings and performance coverage pattern themselves after pre-season team screenings and game coverage. This approach has been effective enough to produce a recent offspring, dance medicine, which has sought to describe patterns of, and risk factors for, dance-related injury. As dance medicine continues to grow, many of its specialists are also drawing from another model, occupational medicine, to develop injury prevention and management programmes tailored to the special needs of this population.In this article, we borrow from both the sports and occupational medicine models to review some of the issues in addressing WMSD in dancers. Consideration will be given to injury risk factors and options for organisational management of injury. To further our discussion, Figure 1 illustrates a dance medicine conceptual model demonstrating the interaction of intrinsic risk factors of the dancer/worker with extrinsic risk factors of dance/work that may result in musculoskeletal injury and the points at which prevention measures can be introduced. MULTIFACTORIAL RISK FACTORSWMSD incur enormous health and financial costs. They account for over 85% of workers' compensation (WC) claims in the US, with estimated annual costs ranging from $13-54 billion. 7,8 In order to design optimal prevention and intervention strategies for workers, it is important to ascertain the nature of risk for WMSD. Risk factors are attributes or elements ABSTRACT Professional dancers are a medically under-served occupational group at high risk for workrelated musculoskeletal disorders. Historically, a sports medicine approach has been used in the treatment of dancers and dance companies. Recently, health care providers have also applied occupational medicine concepts to the dance organisation. Consideration of risk factors and the application of organisational programmes to prevent work-related musculoskeletal disorders in dancers are discussed. Deficiencies in our understanding of the contribution of risk factors towards injury are outlined for future consideration. The majority of dance organisations are non-profit and have no injury prevention strategies in place, viewing medical programmes as an unaffordable luxury. The application of a customised sportsoccupational medicine approach shows promise in reducing the human and financial costs of work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

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“…In various studies, 40%-80% of ballet dancers report minor injuries, and a similar percentage report "overuse" syndromes (Hamilton & Hamilton, 1994;Hamilton, Hamilton, Meltzer, Marshall, & Molnar, 1989). The effect of these stressors is cumulative, and "older" dancers (most retire by their 30s) appear to experience more injuries and physical problems of various kinds, and also spend longer periods of time disabled than younger dancers (Hamilton et al, 1989). The incidence of arthritis may be high, as is the risk for osteoporosis.…”

Section: Injury and Retirementmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Enhancement of Performance Excellence Among Performing Artists

Hays¹

2002

Journal of Applied Sport Psychology

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Personality, stress, and injuries in professional ballet dancers

Cited by 97 publications

References 12 publications

The body as a tool: professional classical ballet dancers’ embodiment

The body as a tool: professional classical ballet dancers’ embodiment

Occupational Musculoskeletal Disorders in Dancers

The Enhancement of Performance Excellence Among Performing Artists

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