One of the most common questions I get asked as a physiotherapist with a special interest in dance rehabilitation and injury prevention is, “How can we prevent dance injuries?”.
GOOD QUESTION!
It’s a very valid question considering:
- the rate of injury in young and adolescent dancers is higher than that reported in young soccer players or gymnasts
- the injury rate of dancers aged between 9 -18 years is even higher than that of professional ballet and contemporary dancers!4,7
Why do dance injuries occur?
First, let’s take a look at why dance injuries happen.
The reason for young dancers reporting more injuries than their counterparts in other sports is partly due to growth spurts in this age group, coupled with the high physical demands of dance. There are also numerous other factors that have been identified as risks for injury. Some are intrinsic – related to the individual such as growth, hormones or previous injuries1 – and others are extrinsic or external, such as environmental factors like dance floors, equipment or training load.2 Research on both intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors, and their relationship to dance injuries is a growing area of research and hence, more information will continue to emerge.
There does seem to be a growing consensus that the majority of dance injuries in ballet dancers is due to overuse3,6,9. Dancers are familiar with the repetitive nature of dance training – having to repeat a move over and over again in order to learn and perfect a new skill or piece of choreography. This can prove somewhat tricky to manage among aspiring young dancers. In addition to this, the rigors of dance can increase at particular times of the year4, and we certainly see more injured dancers here in clinic around exam and performance periods.
What are the most common injuries for dancers?
In young dancers of ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop, contemporary, ballroom and Irish dancing, it may be no surprise that the lower limb (leg) is most commonly injured. This includes the knee, ankle and foot – with rate of occurrence in that order – followed by the hip and spine. Ligaments tend to be the most commonly injured soft tissue, with muscles and tendons making up about 30% of injuries, while bone injuries make up around 20% of all injuries.5
Acute versus chronic dance injuries
Traumatic injuries are usually referred to as acute injuries, while injuries relating to overuse are often longer lasting or slowly developing injuries, referred to as chronic injuries. Research has shown that the majority of injuries sustained by young ballet dancers are of the ‘overuse’ type, with more than three quarters of all injuries falling into this category.6 With overuse-type injuries, the dancer is usually unable to pinpoint exactly what caused the injury and often reports pain increasing over time. Tendinopathy and bone stress reaction/stress fractures are examples of this type of injury, typically caused by repetitive stress and/or overloading. Other causes of chronic injuries can be structural or genetic in nature, such as hyperextended knees usually seen in the hypermobile population.
Acute injuries are usually a result of an “accident”. Examples of an acute injury are a slip on the floor or landing poorly from a jump, resulting in a muscle strain or ankle sprain.
So, what can we do to help prevent dance injuries?
Accidents do happen, however the majority of dance injuries can be prevented, and there are ways of reducing a dancer’s risk of injury.15 Some of the ways we can help reduce the risk of dance injuries are:
So, a short answer to the question of how to prevent dance injuries is….Ensure the young dancer has a healthy dance schedule, has been screened for deficits and potential injury risks, and has an individualised conditioning program. The dancer, as well as their family, dance teachers and health professionals, all need to work together to help the young dancer remain as injury-free and healthy as possible! |
For more information about PhysioTec’s Dance Physiotherapy services, including dance screenings and pre-point profiling, injury rehabilitiation or dance-specific strength and conditioning, click here or call 3342 4284 to book an appointment with Joanne Manning.
References
- Kenny SJ, Whittaker JL, Emery CA. Risk factors for musculoskeletal injury in preprofessional dancers: a systematic review. Br J Sports Med. 2016;50(16):997–1003.
- Russell JA. Preventing dance injuries: current perspectives. Open Access J Sports Med. 2013;4:199–210.
- Leanderson C, Leanderson J, Wykman A, Strender LE, Johansson SE, Sundquist K. Musculoskeletal injuries in young ballet dancers. Knee Surg Sports Traumatol Arthrosc. 2011;19(9):1531–5.
- Prevention of Injuries in the Young Dancer (Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine). Springer International Publishing. Kindle Edition.
- Fuller M, Moyle GM, Hunt AP, Minett GM. Injuries during transition periods across the year in pre-professional and professional ballet and contemporary dancers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Phys Ther Sport. 2020 Apr 3;44:14-23.
- Shah S, Weiss DS, Burchette RJ. Injuries in professional modern dancers: incidence, risk factors, and management. J Dance Med Sci. 2012;16(1):17–25.
- Steinberg N, Aujla I, Zeev A, Redding E. Injuries among talented young dancers: findings from the U.K. Centres for advanced Training. Int J Sports Med. 2014;35(3):238–44.
- Faigenbaum AD, Kraemer WJ, Blimkie CJ, Jeffreys I, Micheli LJ, Nitka M, et al. Youth resistance training: updated position statement paper from the national strength and conditioning association. J Strength Cond Res. 2009;23(5 Suppl):S60–79.
- Prevention of Injuries in the Young Dancer (Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine). Springer International Publishing. Kindle Edition.
- Allen N, Nevill AM, Brooks JH, Koutedakis Y, Wyon MA. The effect of a comprehensive injury audit program on injury incidence in ballet: a 3-year prospective study. Clin J Sport Med. 2013;23(5):373–8.
- Ekegren CL, Quested R, Brodrick A. Injuries in pre-professional ballet dancers: incidence, characteristics and consequences. J Sci Med sport. 2014;17(3):271–5.