Assessing and Reporting Dancer Capacities, Risk Factors, and Injuries

Objectives: Pre-professional dance is high-risk, with injury incidence up to 4.7 injuries/1000 dance hours. Pre-season screening measures have been utilized to assess risk factors for dance-related injury, however normative values haven’t been established for a pre-professional ballet population. The purpose of this study was to establish normative values of ankle and hip joint range of motion (ROM), lumbopelvic control, and dynamic balance pre-season screening measures for pre-professional ballet dancers. Methods: 498 adolescent pre-professional ballet dancers [n = 219 junior division (194 female, 25 male; mean age: 12.9±0.9 year); n = 281 senior division (238 female, 41 male; mean age: 16.8±1.5 year)] participated in baseline screening tests across 5 seasons (2015-2019). Baseline measures took place at the beginning of each academic year: ankle ROM [dorsiflexion (deg); plantarflexion (PF) (deg)], total active turnout (TAT) (deg), lumbopelvic control [active straight leg raise (ASLR) (score); one leg standing test (OLS) (score)], and dynamic balance [unipedal balance (sec); Y-Balance Test (cm)]. Results: Percentiles for ankle dorsiflexion ranged from 28.2° (male senior division, 10th percentile) to 63.3° (female junior division, 100th percentile). For PF, percentiles ranged from 77.5 to 111.8° (male junior division, 10th percentile; male senior division, 100th percentile). Percentiles for TAT for all participants ranged between 121.1° and 131.0°. For the ASLR, the proportion of participants moving with compensation (pelvis shifting) was between 64.0% and 82.2%. For OLS, 19.7% to 56.1% of dancers had a positive score (hip hiking). Percentiles for dynamic balance ranged from 3.5 to 17.1 seconds (unipedal dynamic balance) and 75.8 to 103.3 cm (YBT composite reach score) across all groups. Conclusion: The establishment of normative values of pre-season screening measures among a pre-professional ballet population can be used to determine areas to target during training, recognize individuals with possible injury risk, and inform return to dance protocols following injury. Comparison with other dancer/athletic populations will also provide insight into the performance of dancers and identify areas in need of improvement.

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“… c Previous injury was operationally defined as any dance-related physical complaint that required medical attention and/or time-loss (i.e., caused the dancer to miss more than 1 day of class, rehearsal or performance) in the previous 1-year. 15,16 …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pre-Season Screening Assessments: Normative Data for Pre-Professional Ballet Dancers

Critchley

Ferber

Pasanen

et al. 2023

“…The athletic trainer (AT) for the School of Dance recorded dancers’ DEHr, with a DEHr defined as 1 hour of dance participation in class, rehearsal, or performance. 23 Class was defined as the dancers’ regular modern and/or ballet technique class. Rehearsal was non-class time devoted to a later performance (ie, residency, student pieces, etc.).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Sleep, Dance Exposure Hours, and Injury Risk in Collegiate Dancers

Fauntroy

Hansen-Honeycutt

et al. 2023

Introduction: Sleep is essential for athletes and dancers to optimize recovery. Poor sleep negatively affects cognitive function and injury risk in athletes. Increased athletic participation (hours) is associated with decreased total sleep and quality in athletes. Still, information about how sleep is related with exposure hours and injury in collegiate dancers remains unclear. We examined the relationships among the Athlete Sleep Behavior Questionnaire (ASBQ), dance exposure hours (DEHr), and injuries in collegiate dancers over a 7 -month period (August 2019-February 2020). Methods: Seventy-two dancers (58 female, 14 male; 19.7 ± 1.4 years) completed the 18 question ASBQ at the start of each month (Scale:1 = Never, 5 = Always; Global Scores ≤36 = “good sleep behavior” and ≥42 = “poor sleep behavior”). A DEHr was recorded as 1 hour of dance participation in class, rehearsal, or performance. Injuries were defined as any condition where the dancer sought medical attention, and we calculated an injury rate for total injuries (IR/1000 DEHr). Pearson correlations examined relationships among ASBQ, DEHr, and injuries ( P ≤ .05). Results: Dancers participated in 467.8 ± 45.7 DEHr over 7 months, with 14 dancers suffering 18 injuries (IR = 0.5/1000-DEHr; 95% CI:0.3-0.8). Overall, dancers reported poor sleep behaviors (42.6 ± 6.4). ASBQ scores, DEHr, and injuries in August-October, and December-February were not related, except for a weak positive relationship between ASBQ scores and DEHr in November ( r = .28, P = .04). Conclusions: Sleep, DEHr, and injuries were inconsistently related in collegiate dancers. Sleep and DEHr were only correlated during the month where dancers had 2 performance weeks. While we did not observe this relationship every month, performance weeks may have negatively affected sleep in November. Despite consistent poor sleep, sleep did not seem to negatively affect injury risk during the 7 -month study period. Future researchers should validate the ASBQ in dancers.

“…Negative stressors in ballet dancers' lives have been shown to predict an increased injury rate. [1][2][3][4] It has been shown that male dancers demonstrate significantly more negative personality traits and psychological distress than female dancers or men • • Harmful behaviors associated with SOGI should be taken into consideration as part of a biopsychosocial model of health in order to improve outcomes and quality of life. • • Healthcare providers should have the tools necessary to screen at-risk groups for harmful behaviors in order to mitigate health risks.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Comparing Harmful Behaviors Among Dancers According to Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Utilizing the RISQ

Honrado

Oh²,

Ryan

et al. 2023

Self Cite

Introduction: There is a dearth of information about whether lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) dancers, who often experience increased psychosocial risk factors, are at increased risk of engaging in harmful behaviors compared to their heterosexual cisgender counterparts. This study explores harmful behaviors dancers engage in according to their self-reported sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI), utilizing the validated Risky, Impulsive, and Self-Destructive Behavior Questionnaire (RISQ). Methods: Three hundred sixty-four dancers from 7 elite dance entities in New York were contacted by e-mail to participate in the study. Sixty-six participants completed the study through a virtual questionnaire. Chi-square, ANOVA and independent t-test were utilized to assess statistical differences among RISQ outcomes in 4 SOGI groups: Cisgender Heterosexual Female (n = 20); Cisgender Heterosexual Male (n = 7); LGBTQ+ Female (n = 19); and LGBTQ+ Male (n = 20). Results: Chi-square comparing SOGI group frequency of participation within each of the RISQ behaviors revealed statistically significant difference with: difficulty stopping eating ( P = .05); gambling illegally ( P = .036); betting on sports, horses, or other animals ( P = .036); buying expensive items that cannot be afforded at the spur of the moment ( P = .019); and drinking 5 or more alcoholic drinks in 3 hours or less ( P = .013). Between-group frequency comparison through ANOVA and independent t-test revealed: the LGBTQ+ Male group were 92% more likely to have unprotected sex with someone they just met or did not know well ( P < .001) and 83% more likely to use hallucinogens, LSD, or mushrooms ( P = .018); the LGBTQ+ Female and LGBTQ+ Male groups were 4.4 times more likely to buy drugs ( P = .01) and 4.88 times more likely to think about killing themselves ( P = .023); and both male groups were 12.8 times more likely to steal money ( P = .006). Conclusions: This study found significant difference in RISQ scores based on a dancer’s SOGI. Harmful behaviors should be taken into consideration when working to improve dancer patient outcomes and quality of life.