Fit to dance survey: a comparison with dancesport injuries

The Efficacy of Physical Fitness Training on Dance Injury: A Systematic Review

Greater levels of physical fitness have been linked to improved dance performance and decreased injury incidence. The aim was to review the efficacy of physical fitness training on dance injury. The electronic databases CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure were used to search peer-reviewed published articles in English or Chinese. Studies were scored using Strength of the Evidence for a Conclusion and a risk bias checklist. 10 studies met the inclusion criteria from an initial 2450 publications. These studies offered physical fitness training for professional (n = 3) and pre-professional dancers (n = 7), participant sample size ranged between 5 to 62, ages from 11 to 27 years, and most participants were females. Assessment scores were classified as Fair (n = 1), Limited (n = 7), and Expert Opinion Only (n = 2) and risk of bias scores ranged from 22.7-68.2 %. After physical fitness training, 80 % of studies reported significant benefits in injury rate, the time between injuries, pain intensity, pain severity, missed dance activities and injury count. This review suggests that physical fitness training could have a beneficial effect on injury incidence in dance. The evidence is limited by the current study methodologies.

Injury incidence and severity in Chinese pre-professional dancers: A prospective weekly monitoring survey

OBJECTIVES

To determine dance injury incidence and severity in full-time Chinese pre-professional dancers.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective weekly online monitoring survey.

METHODS

Respondents were asked to record all dance-injury incidences between September 2020 and July 2021 using a remote weekly self-report injury monitoring tool. An inclusive definition of injury was used in this study to record all injuries, even if they didn't cause a cessation of training. Data were excluded if respondents completed <90 % of the survey period and had over 3 consecutive weeks of missing data.

RESULTS

450 individuals from 11 different schools were included in the analyses. A total of 1157 injuries were reported over a 30-week academic year. Injury prevalence was 64.9 % and injury incidence was 5.51 injuries per 1000 h. Forty-eight percent of the injuries were minor severity and 41 % were of moderate severity, and the main injury sites were knees (0.89/1000 h), lower back (0.80/1000 h), feet (0.58/1000 h) and groin (0.56/1000 h). Female dancers reported significantly higher injury prevalence and injury incidence, and higher rates of moderate to severe injuries than males. The university group reported higher injury incidence than the adolescent group (p < 0.05), whereas the latter reported higher rates of moderate to severe injuries than the former (p < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

The injury incidence found in this study (5.1 injuries/1000 h) is higher than most previous sets of data. Female dancers are at a higher risk of injury and reported higher levels of injury severity than male dancers, especially for the female adolescent group.

Injuries in Ballroom DanceSport: A Retrospective Study on Prevalence and Relation With Demographic Data

BACKGROUND

DanceSport is a variant of Ballroom dancing, a style that is performed as a couple dancing together. Although there are many participants worldwide, the amount of research on injuries done in this style of dancing is limited.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was obtaining information about the DanceSport Athletes in the Netherlands including anthropometrics, level, frequency and duration of dance training per week. Our second objective was to investigate injury prevalence and type of injuries.

STUDY DESIGN

Retrospective questionnaire study.

METHODS

All 816 registered active dancers within the Dutch DanceSport Association received an online questionnaire with questions on anthropometrics, level of dancing, frequency and duration of dance training, and questions on injuries. The Chi-Square test was used to calculate differences between categorical variables.

RESULTS

A total of 218 dancers (33.7%) completed the questionnaire, 107 males (49.1%), and 111 females (50.9%). The mean age for men was 42 ± 15.9 and 36 ± 15.1 for women. 176 dancers (80.7%) reported 1 or more injuries. Foot, ankle, and lower leg injuries were reported most frequently, 49 males (45.8%), and 60 females (54.1%). No significant difference was found in the total number of injuries for the variables sex (P = .761) and discipline (P = .225). Significantly more head and neck injuries were identified in female Standard dancers (P < .001) compared to male dancers. Also, Standard dancers have more back injuries compared to dancers in both disciplines (P < .009).

CONCLUSION

With the described anthropometrics and an 80% lifetime prevalence of injuries, this group can be compared to other dance forms. Significant differences in injuries of the head and neck for female Standard dancers compared to male dancers and significantly more back injuries in Standard dancers compared to dancers in both disciplines were found. Future studies need to translate and validate existing questionnaires in Dutch for use in this population.

Irish Dancing Injuries and Associated Risk Factors: A Systematic Review

Irish dance is growing in popularity, evolving to a more athletic and demanding dance style. The aim of this study is to conduct a systematic review, previously registered with PROSPERO, to identify the prevalence, incidence, and the injury pattern among Irish dancers and analyse the associated risk factors. Six online databases and two dance-specific science publications were searched systematically. Studies were included if the patterns of injuries among Irish dancers were evaluated or the factors associated with injury were analysed, published in English or Portuguese, in peer-reviewed scientific journals. Four reviewers assessed the quality and level of evidence using the Downs and Black criteria and a modified Oxford Centre of Evidence-Based Medicine 2009 model, respectively. Eleven articles were included, eight of Level 3c (cross-sectional) and three of Level 3b (prospective). Mean DB percentage score was 63% ± 7.2%. Prevalence ranged from 72.2% to 92.6%, affecting mostly the foot/ankle complex. Only two articles reported incidence, which ranged from 3.4 to 10.6 injuries/1000 h danced depending on injury definition. Psychological factors, elite level, and insufficient/poor sleep were associated with musculoskeletal injury. Injury prevalence and incidence is high in Irish dancers, with the foot and ankle being more affected. Due to heterogeneity in injury definitions, methods, and populations, along with the need for improvement in studies quality, recommendations were made for future research.

The Efficacy of Physical Fitness Training on Dance Injury: A Systematic Review

Greater levels of physical fitness have been linked to improved dance performance and decreased injury incidence. The aim was to review the efficacy of physical fitness training on dance injury. The electronic databases CINAHL, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Web of Science, MEDLINE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure were used to search peer-reviewed published articles in English or Chinese. Studies were scored using Strength of the Evidence for a Conclusion and a risk bias checklist. 10 studies met the inclusion criteria from an initial 2450 publications. These studies offered physical fitness training for professional (n=3) and pre-professional dancers (n=7), participant sample size ranged between 5 to 62, ages from 11 to 27 years, and most participants were females. Assessment scores were classified as Fair (n=1), Limited (n=7), and Expert Opinion Only (n=2) and risk of bias scores ranged from 22.7-68.2%. After physical fitness training, 80% of studies reported significant benefits in injury rate, the time between injuries, pain intensity, pain severity, missed dance activities and injury count. This review suggests that physical fitness training could have a beneficial effect on injury incidence in dance. The evidence is limited by the current study methodologies.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Dance Injury During COVID-19: A Cross-Sectional Study From University Students in China

Objectives: Although coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has transformed the training environment of dancers worldwide, little is known on how this has affected injury prevalence, causes, and risk factors. Methods: An online investigation involving Chinese full-time dance students was conducted (September-November 2020), which covered two 6-month periods just before and during the first COVID-19 lockdown. Results: 2086 students (19 ± 2.4 years) responded to the investigation. Injury prevalence dropped from 39.6% (before the lockdown) to 16.5% (during the lockdown) (p < 0.01). It was noted that a significant increase in injury severity during the lockdown was caused due to a 4.1% increase in moderate-to-severe injuries (p < 0.05). During the lockdown, the injuries on the lower back, feet, and shoulders decreased significantly (p < 0.01), but the knee, ankle, and groin/hip joint injuries remained the same. Fatigue and the recurrence of an old injury remained as the top two perceived causes of an injury between the two periods with the increase in an unsuitable floor (p < 0.01), a cold environment (p < 0.05), and set/props (p < 0.05). The fatigue degree of students decreased (p < 0.01) and their hours of sleep increased (p < 0.01) during the lockdown. Binary Logistic Regression analysis indicated that dance injury is associated with fatigue, the hours of sleep, and the actions taken if they suspect an injury during the lockdown (p < 0.05), but is only related to the time set aside for a cooldown and age before the lockdown period (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Although injury prevalence dropped significantly during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Chinese dance students, the main dance injury characteristics remained the same. Decreased fatigue and longer hours of sleep could explain the aforementioned drop in injury prevalence during the lockdown.

A Retrospective Investigation on Age and Gender Differences of Injuries in DanceSport

In spite of the extensive research on incidence site and type of injury in ballet and modern dancers, limited studies on injury in DanceSport have been reported. Therefore, this study determined retrospectively (within last 12 months) incidence, severity, site and type of injury, between gender and age-class in DanceSport. Participants were 97 international sport-dancers (female, 41; male, 56). Sixty-six (69%) dancers reported 96 injuries (1.00 (range = 4)) injuries per dancer) and an injury incidence of 1.7 (range = 14) per 1000 h. Females revealed significantly higher median injury incidence (females, 2.6 (range = 14); males, 1.9 (range = 9), p < 0.05) than males. A total of 61.5% of all injuries recorded were traumatic with a significant gender difference (Wald chi-square = 11.616, df = 1, p < 0.01). Injury severity was 3 (range 240) days with an interaction effect between gender and age-class (Wald chi-square = 251.374, df = 3, p < 0.001). Meanwhile, 72.3% of the dancers reported not including sport specific exercises besides dancing. These findings show gender and age-class differences in injury incidence, type and severity. Therefore, to reduce the likelihood of injuries, the implementation of supplemental DanceSport specific exercises that also considers the gender and age-class anatomical, functional, and choreographic demand differences in the training program should be recognized.

Functional muscle asymmetries and laterality in Latin American formation dancers

BACKGROUND

Despite the high popularity of Latin American dance and the specific movement patterns characteristic of this dance discipline, studies on the physical effects of these dance style specific movement patterns are still lacking.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of the present study is to analyze strength level differences and shortening of relevant muscle groups resulting from formation dance, taking performance standard and gender into consideration. Furthermore, the correlation between the findings of muscle function tests (MFT) and the occurrence of lumbar spine complaints is evaluated.

METHODS

A total of 66 participants (m: n= 31, f: n= 35) volunteered for this cross-sectional study (examination group, n= 39, m: n= 19, f: n= 20). The control group consisted of n= 27 participants (m: n= 12, f: n= 15). Besides isometric maximal strength tests (Digi Max system, mechaTronic), relevant muscle groups were examined for shortenings (hip flexors, hamstrings).

RESULTS

The male participants in dance sport reached a significantly higher strength level in the muscles of the spine region (p= 0.011) than the participants of the control group. The female elite dance athletes developed a significantly higher strength level in the knee flexors on the right side than the dancers of the advanced group (NL) (p= 0.021). At that, muscle shortening were observed that seem to be specific to dance sport. In addition, gender specific differences were observed both in strength levels and in tendency to shortenings.

CONCLUSION

The specific requirements profile of Latin American formation dance seems to produce affects in the form of muscular imbalance on both sides of the body. These differences of muscular status were mainly observed between dance sport competitors and non-dancers rather than between performance levels. Future investigations with higher numbers of participants would be necessary here.

Injury Surveillance of Nonprofessional Salsa Dance

Background: The investigation sought to (1) establish the extent of injuries, (2) determine the odds of sustaining an injury, and (3) calculate the injury incidence rate in nonprofessional salsa dance.Methods: Salsa dancers completed an anonymous web-based survey containing 11 demographic background and 10 (1 y retrospective) injury history questions.Results: The response rate was 77%. The final sample of respondents included 303 women and 147 men, of which 22% and 14%, respectively, sustained ≥1 injury during salsa dance in the past year. The odds of injury was 2.00 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.14–3.50) times greater (P < .05) for women than for men. Age, body mass index, and salsa dance experience were also found to be significant (allPs < .05) predictors of injury. The injury incidence rate for women and men was 1.1 (95% CI, 0.9–1.4) and 0.5 (95% CI, 0.3–0.7) injuries per 1000 hours of exposure, respectively.Conclusions: This is the first study to have described salsa dancers in terms of their injury history profile. Results indicate that the likelihood of sustaining an injury during this physical activity is similar to that of ballroom, but lower than that of Spanish, aerobic, and Zumba®, dance.