Fatigue-Induced Changes in Movement Pattern and Muscle Activity During Ballet Releve on Demi-Pointe

Abstract

Fatigue in ballet dancers may lead to injury, particularly in the lower extremities. However, few studies have investigated the effects of fatigue on ballet dancers' performance and movement patterns. Thus, the current study examines the effect of fatigue on the balance, movement pattern, and muscle activities of the lower extremities in ballet dancers. Twenty healthy, female ballet dancers performed releve on demi-pointe before and after fatigue. The trajectory of the whole body movement and the muscle activities of the major lower extremity muscles were recorded continuously during task performance. The results show that fatigue increases the medial-lateral center of mass (COM) displacement and hip and trunk motion, but decreases the COM velocity and ankle motion. Moreover, fatigue reduces the activities of the hamstrings and tibialis anterior, but increases that of the soleus. Finally, greater proximal hip and trunk motions are applied to compensate for the effects of fatigue, leading to a greater COM movement. Overall, the present findings show that fatigue results in impaired movement control and may therefore increase the risk of dance injury.

Vitamins and Minerals for Energy, Fatigue and Cognition: A Narrative Review of the Biochemical and Clinical Evidence

“…Nevertheless, numerous studies have reported that fatigue elicited by physical training translates into worsened sport performance. For instance, cross-country skiers had decreased double poling performance after a 25 min trunk fatiguing exercise sequence, compared with a 25 min rest [16], and fatigued ballet dancers exhibited impaired movement control, which may increase the risk of injury [17]. Interestingly, impaired performance appeared to be associated with not only physical and muscular fatigue, but also mental fatigue.…”

On the track of the ideal turnout: Electromyographic and kinematic analysis of the five classical ballet positions

“…In those studies, the EMG signal of other superficial LEs muscles was explored as well. Different researchers investigated the activity of hip adductors, quadriceps femoris, hamstrings, tibialis anterior, fibularis, gastrocnemius, extensor digitorum longus, flexor hallucis brevis or abductor hallucis in dynamic ballet tasks [19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. Krasnow et al [23] explored the activity of trunk muscles which are essential for keeping a stable straight posture [18].…”

Kettlebell Training for Female Ballet Dancers: Effects on Lower Limb Power and Body Balance

“…These reports are similar to Jay et al (2013b) where participants reported improvements in desire to exercise and physical energy in daily life. Before and during the pauses of their presentations dancers performed swings as a warm up, which might be an important strategy to improve balance during artistic performance and to prevent injury (Lin et al, 2016). Although this study did not evaluate incidence of injury, there is evidence which relates KT to a decrease in neck/shoulder and low back pain after 8 weeks of ballistic KT (Jay et al, 2011), though specific training of the back musculature including KT (Edinborough et al, 2016), can result in a reduced injury risk in dancers (Welsh et al, 1998).…”