Pre-season Screening and Injury Surveillance of Pre-Professional Dancers: A Longitudinal Study
Date
2022-09
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Abstract
Few dance epidemiology studies have utilized evidence-based pre-season screening measures, prospective injury surveillance, and biostatistical modelling to investigate potential risk factors for dance-related injury across multiple years. Post-injury there is currently no return-to-dance protocol to guide injury rehabilitation. A dance-specific jump test to detect lower-limb asymmetries and normative values for common pre-season screening assessments may prove useful for onsite clinicians who are responsible for dancer populations. Therefore, the aims of this doctoral research were to assess the prevalence, incidence, and risk factors for dance-related injury in pre-professional ballet dancers, to evaluate the test-retest reliability of a dance specific jump test using wearable technology, and to establish normative values for common pre-season screening assessments. In Chapter three, it was found that injury prevalence, injury rate, severity, and location remain consistent across five years of training, further justifying the growing body of research that demonstrates pre-professional ballet dancers are at high risk for injury. In an examination of potential risk factors in Chapter four, a significant association between lumbopelvic control and dynamic balance, when adjusted for psychological coping skills and years of previous dance training, with side-to-side differences was found. In Chapter five, findings demonstrated that using accelerometers during a dance-specific jump test did not produce reliable measures of lower limb landing asymmetries. However, test-retest reliability was demonstrated for performance measures (i.e., flight time and jump height). This means that inertial measurement units placed on the lower limb could be used to quantify jump loads and measure jump height performance during injury rehabilitation. Finally, in chapter six, normative values and percentiles were determined for ankle and hip range of motion, lumbopelvic control, and dynamic balance for healthy, adolescent ballet dancers training at the pre-professional level. In conclusion, the use of a comprehensive injury surveillance program across multiple years has established consistent risks and a risk profile for dance-related injury in pre-professional dancers. Baseline and normative values of jump performance and common pre-season screenings may be a more appropriate reference for injury than lower-limb asymmetry metrics.
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Keywords
Dance, Injury, Epidemiology
Citation
Critchley, M. (2022). Pre-season screening and injury surveillance of pre-professional dancers: a longitudinal study (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca.