Preventing dance injuries: current perspectives

Abstract

Dancers are clearly athletes in the degree to which sophisticated physical capacities are required to perform at a high level. The standard complement of athletic attributes – muscular strength and endurance, anaerobic and aerobic energy utilization, speed, agility, coordination, motor control, and psychological readiness – all are essential to dance performance. In dance, as in any athletic activity, injuries are prevalent. This paper presents the research background of dance injuries, characteristics that distinguish dance and dancers from traditional sports and athletes, and research-based perspectives into how dance injuries can be reduced or prevented, including the factors of physical training, nutrition and rest, flooring, dancing en pointe, and specialized health care access for dancers. The review concludes by offering five essential components for those involved with caring for dancers that, when properly applied, will assist them in decreasing the likelihood of dance-related injury and ensuring that dancers receive optimum attention from the health care profession: (1) screening; (2) physical training; (3) nutrition and rest; (4) specialized dance health care; and (5) becoming acquainted with the nature of dance and dancers.

Desafios nutricionais de bailarinos profissionais

“…Por isso, a nutrição é o grande desafio do bailarino/a. (13) solicitando o metabolismo aeróbio e anaeróbio (43) . A aptidão aeróbia máxima dos bailarinos/as parece ser superior na dança moderna, em relação à clássica (5) .…”

“…Força muscular, endurance, utilização aeróbia e anaeróbia de energia, velocidade, agilidade, coordenação, controlo motor e prontidão psicológica fazem parte do reportório de atributos que caracterizam a dança (43) . A conjugação de elevadas exigências de aptidão motora com um corpo estético e funcionalmente equilibrado impõe um constante desafio que normalmente desemboca no controlo ponderal.…”

The Evaluation of Strength, Flexibility, and Functional Performance in the Adolescent Ballet Dancer During Intensive Dance Training

“…Risk factors for dance injury include not only extrinsic factors such as shoe wear, floor surface, and training errors but also intrinsic differences like anatomic malalignment, and growth spurts and pubertal changes . Some current research has focused on the various modifiable risk factors for dance injury such as development of musculotendinous imbalance of strength and/or flexibility, inadequate rest and fatigue, and overtraining, especially when exacerbated by poor dance technique, as well as the interplay between these factors …”

“…15 Some current research has focused on the various modifiable risk factors for dance injury such as development of musculotendinous imbalance of strength and/or flexibility, inadequate rest and fatigue, and overtraining, especially when exacerbated by poor dance technique, as well as the interplay between these factors. 15,16 A number of studies have evaluated dancer-specific biomechanical and technical issues, and a few relate them to injury risk. Adequate strength is a concern for dancers.…”

Single-leg squats can predict leg alignment in dancers performing ballet movements in “turnout”

“…Dancing with a valgus leg alignment is cited as a potential risk factor for lower limb injury, the most frequently injured body region in dancers 2–6. A valgus leg alignment is suggested to cause stress to the ligamentous structures of the knee, and the associated hyper-pronation may cause stress to the medial structures of the foot 7,8.…”