Tsubaki Y1, Urabe Y1, Sasadai J1, Fuji E2, Suzuki Y1,3, Maeda N1
1Hiroshima University, Graduate School of Biomedical and Health Sciences, Sport Rehabilitation Laboratory, Hiroshimashi, Japan, 2Ohseto Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan, 3Matterhorn Rehabilitation Hospital, Hiroshima, Japan
Background: Ballet dancers are required to perform high artistic and physical movement since their childhood. While ballet dancers may appear to dance with ease, ballet is physically demanding, taxing, and potentially injurious (Coplan, 2002). Most studies of ballet injuries targeted professional adult dancers, and no research focused on Japanese adolescent dancers. Although injury rate seems to be related to hours of practice and age, there are few reports about the relationship between the occurrence of ballet injuries and hours of practice or age.
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the status of injury related to age, hours of practice and injury sides in Japanese adolescent female ballet dancers.
Methods: A questionnaire survey was offered to students belong to ballet studio in Japan. The data included age, height, body weight, ballet-year, years of wearing point shoes, hours of practice and injury history; body part, cause, frequency. The injuries were classified into trauma and overuse. Each injury rates were calculated following independent variables: age (3 groups: 8-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years old), hours of practice in a week (3 groups: shorter; 3, average; 4-12, and longer; >12.5 hours).
Results: The number of valid responses was 131, and a response rate was 76.9 %. The mean ± SD of age, body height and body weight were 13.5 ± 2.5 years, 152.0 ± 8.2 cm and 40.3 ± 7.1 kg. In total, 89 injuries were recorded. 35.9% of dancers experienced injuries at least one time. Both trauma and overuse injury rates rose up with growing age and increasing hours of practice. The rates of trauma were 12%, 22.7% and 34.4% (8-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years old). The rates of overuse were 0%, 16.3% and 29.6% (8-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years old). Most common injury was ankle sprain (31 cases), which occurred during jump landing. In contrast, lumbar, hip and knee injuries were not distinguished. Dancers who practice longer hours were more likely to get ankle sprain again (25.0%) than average (3.5%) or shorter (5.0%) hours of practice.
Conclusion(s): This study showed the occurrence of ballet injury increase as they grew up and practice long time. In addition, overuse injuries began to appear at the age of 13. Many Japanese young female dancers may cause ankle sprains during jump landing. Previous study showed that knee injuries were commonly seen in young recreational dancers (Steinberg, 2013). In addition, the common body parts of injury were foot and lumbar spine in elite adolescent dancers (Bowerman, 2014). However, this study showed ankle injuries frequently occurred and knee or lumbar injuries were not distinguished.
Implications: This survey showed the relationship between hours of practice or age and the incidence of injuries in adolescent dancers. Characteristics and incidence of injuries differed depending on age and practice time. Therefore, taking these factors into consideration, more effective study and injury prevention can be possible by conducting further research such as physical characteristics and technical aspects.
Keywords: injury, questionnaire, adolescent ballet dancer
Funding acknowledgements: We have no funding acknowledgement in this study.
Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the status of injury related to age, hours of practice and injury sides in Japanese adolescent female ballet dancers.
Methods: A questionnaire survey was offered to students belong to ballet studio in Japan. The data included age, height, body weight, ballet-year, years of wearing point shoes, hours of practice and injury history; body part, cause, frequency. The injuries were classified into trauma and overuse. Each injury rates were calculated following independent variables: age (3 groups: 8-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years old), hours of practice in a week (3 groups: shorter; 3, average; 4-12, and longer; >12.5 hours).
Results: The number of valid responses was 131, and a response rate was 76.9 %. The mean ± SD of age, body height and body weight were 13.5 ± 2.5 years, 152.0 ± 8.2 cm and 40.3 ± 7.1 kg. In total, 89 injuries were recorded. 35.9% of dancers experienced injuries at least one time. Both trauma and overuse injury rates rose up with growing age and increasing hours of practice. The rates of trauma were 12%, 22.7% and 34.4% (8-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years old). The rates of overuse were 0%, 16.3% and 29.6% (8-12, 13-15 and 16-19 years old). Most common injury was ankle sprain (31 cases), which occurred during jump landing. In contrast, lumbar, hip and knee injuries were not distinguished. Dancers who practice longer hours were more likely to get ankle sprain again (25.0%) than average (3.5%) or shorter (5.0%) hours of practice.
Conclusion(s): This study showed the occurrence of ballet injury increase as they grew up and practice long time. In addition, overuse injuries began to appear at the age of 13. Many Japanese young female dancers may cause ankle sprains during jump landing. Previous study showed that knee injuries were commonly seen in young recreational dancers (Steinberg, 2013). In addition, the common body parts of injury were foot and lumbar spine in elite adolescent dancers (Bowerman, 2014). However, this study showed ankle injuries frequently occurred and knee or lumbar injuries were not distinguished.
Implications: This survey showed the relationship between hours of practice or age and the incidence of injuries in adolescent dancers. Characteristics and incidence of injuries differed depending on age and practice time. Therefore, taking these factors into consideration, more effective study and injury prevention can be possible by conducting further research such as physical characteristics and technical aspects.
Keywords: injury, questionnaire, adolescent ballet dancer
Funding acknowledgements: We have no funding acknowledgement in this study.
Topic: Sport & sports injuries
Ethics approval required: Yes
Institution: Matterhorn Rehabilitation Hospital
Ethics committee: Ethics Committee of Matterhorn Rehabilitation Hospital
Ethics number: MRH16005
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
