Start Date
11-12-2018 5:30 PM
Description
Abstract
Like all athletes, dancers are susceptible to injury. 113,000 dancers ages three to 19 were treated for dance-related injuries in emergency rooms across the U.S. from 1991 to 2007, and this statistic does not take into account the number of professional dancers who experienced injuries during this time span (Roberts et al, 2013). Common injuries among dancers include sprains, strains, overuse injuries such as stress fractures, and tendinopathy (Caine et al, 2015). Several risk factors of dance-related injuries have been determined to be age, rate of growth, prior injury, frequency and intensity of training, fatigue, eating disorders, and the number of years of training (Hincapie et al, 2006; Caine et al, 2015). How can these risk factors be reduced? How do dance-related injuries impact student and professional dancers? What are the most effective injury prevention methods? What roles do teachers, company directors, and medical professionals play in injury prevention and treatment? To answer these questions, information will be gathered from three groups of people associated with dance: ballet students and professional ballet dancers, teachers and directors, and healthcare professionals. I hope to provide a greater understanding of effective dance-related injury prevention methods in order to decrease the prevalence of injury among dance students and professional dancers.
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Injury Among Ballet Dancers: Reducing Risk and Determining Effective Prevention Methods
Abstract
Like all athletes, dancers are susceptible to injury. 113,000 dancers ages three to 19 were treated for dance-related injuries in emergency rooms across the U.S. from 1991 to 2007, and this statistic does not take into account the number of professional dancers who experienced injuries during this time span (Roberts et al, 2013). Common injuries among dancers include sprains, strains, overuse injuries such as stress fractures, and tendinopathy (Caine et al, 2015). Several risk factors of dance-related injuries have been determined to be age, rate of growth, prior injury, frequency and intensity of training, fatigue, eating disorders, and the number of years of training (Hincapie et al, 2006; Caine et al, 2015). How can these risk factors be reduced? How do dance-related injuries impact student and professional dancers? What are the most effective injury prevention methods? What roles do teachers, company directors, and medical professionals play in injury prevention and treatment? To answer these questions, information will be gathered from three groups of people associated with dance: ballet students and professional ballet dancers, teachers and directors, and healthcare professionals. I hope to provide a greater understanding of effective dance-related injury prevention methods in order to decrease the prevalence of injury among dance students and professional dancers.
