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Dancers at Great Risk for Injury
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Posted on: 11/30/1999
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More than 80 per cent of professional dancers will suffer some type of injury during their career. On any given day, the prevalence of injuries among professional ballet and modern dancers can be as high as 70 per cent. Almost half of all ballet and modern dancers report pain caused by chronic injuries. What can be done to reduce injuries and reinjuries?
In this review article, researchers from Canada take a look at all the articles on dance injuries published between 1966 and 2004. They found 32 studies of acceptable quality to study and analyze in an effort to understand dance injuries. This report called a systematic review is a summary of their findings.
Best-evidence of musculoskeletal injuries and pain in dancers is broken down into categories such as epidemiology, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, and prevention. Epidemiology refers to characteristics of the dancers including age, gender, type of and dance. Years of dance experience, performance level, personality traits, and work dissatisfaction were also included.
Data on type of injuries, number of injuries, and services sought for care of the injuries was also collected, analyzed, and summarized. Information on hours in rehearsal and performance, stretching and flexibility training, and type of stage (angles or raked) was also collected.
The authors report most injuries are musculoskeletal affecting the soft tissues of the back and legs. Sprains, strains, tendon problems, and stress fractures from overuse are the most common. Most of the injuries are minor and do not require time off. Many dancers suffer from more than one injury at a time. Injuries are not always reported and/or treated.
This systematic review showed the difficulty of collecting data on musculoskeletal injuries and pain in dancers. Many of the articles were of low quality and couldn't be included. The definition of injury was not the same from one study to another. Some studies didn't even define injury. The type of dancers can vary widely, too (e.g., ice, modern, ballet, professional, preprofessional, theatrical, and mixed). most of the literature was focused on ballet dancers.
Statistical methods of analyzing factors were not always used. Different study designs provided only weak evidence to identify treatment methods that were effective. Despite all the inconsistencies in published research, there were some noticeable trends in dance medicine.
For example, dancers find the most help for their injuries from physical therapists. But they receive care from other specialists as well. They may see a primary care physician, massage therapist, acupuncturist, chiropractor, or osteopathic physician. Two studies did suggest that injury prevention and management may reduce total number of dance injuries and the related costs. And dance company morale was improved when there were fewer injuries.
Future studies are needed to collect data on the severity of dance injuries, extent of disability from injuries, and prognosis. More studies are needed on dance styles other than ballet. And analysis of many possible risk factors is needed to help identify ways to educate dancers about reducing risk factors to prevent injuries.
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References:
Cesar A. Hincapié, DC, MHSc, et al. Musculoskeletal Injuries and Pain in Dancers: A Systematic Review. In Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. September 2008. Vol. 89. No. 9. Pp. 1819-1829.
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*Disclaimer:*The information contained herein is compiled from a variety of sources. It may not be complete or timely. It does not cover all diseases, physical conditions, ailments or treatments. The information should NOT be used in place of visit with your healthcare provider, nor should you disregard the advice of your health care provider because of any information you read in this topic. |
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