Chronic Inflammation and Neutrophil Activation as Possible Causes of Joint Diseases in Ballet Dancers

Leandro Da Silva Borges,Nivaldo Ribeiro De Moura,José Ricardo Bortolon,Renata Gorjão,Alexandre Dermargos,Elaine Hatanaka,Maria Fernanda Cury-Boaventura,Tania Cristina Pithon-Curi,Vinicius Coneglian Santos

doi:10.1155/2014/846021

Leandro Da Silva Borges, Nivaldo Ribeiro De Moura + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2014/846021

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Abstract

Herein, we investigated the effects of a ballet class on the kinetic profiles of creatine kinase (CK) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) activities, cytokines, complement component 3 (C3), and the concentrations of immunoglobulin (Ig), IgA and IgM, in ballerinas. We also verified neutrophil death and ROS release. Blood samples were taken from 13 dancers before, immediately after, and 18 hours after a ballet class. The ballet class increased the plasma activities of CK-total (2.0-fold) immediately after class, while the activities of CK-cardiac muscle (1.0-fold) and LDH (3.0-fold) were observed to increase 18 hours after the class. Levels of the TNF-α, IL-1β, IgG, and IgA were not affected under the study conditions. The exercise was found to induce neutrophil apoptosis (6.0-fold) 18 hours after the ballet class. Additionally, immediately after the ballet class, the neutrophils from the ballerinas were found to be less responsive to PMA stimulus. Conclusion. Ballet class was found to result in inflammation in dancers. The inflammation caused by the ballet class remained for 18 hours after the exercise. These findings are important in preventing the development of chronic lesions that are commonly observed in dancers, such as those with arthritis and synovitis.

Highlights

Classical ballet is an art that requires daily practice, dedication, and effort to produce light, graceful, and beautiful movements
Acute and chronic lesions consisting of osteochondral stress, nonstress fractures in the lower extremities and feet, and degenerative arthritis of multiple joints have been reported in ballerinas [4]
We observed a significant increase in the activity of creatine kinase (CK)-NAC (2.0-fold, P < 0.05) immediately after and 18 hours after the ballet class (2.0-fold, P < 0.05) (Figure 1(a))

Summary

Introduction

Classical ballet is an art that requires daily practice, dedication, and effort to produce light, graceful, and beautiful movements. Dancing has been found to improve motor control, attention, and physical fitness; studies have pointed to the intense training as a triggering factor for acute and chronic injuries in dancers [1,2,3]. The search for perfection by aesthetic standards, coupled with the desire for total control of body movements, compels the dancer to exceed the body’s natural limitations, thereby potentially resulting in lesions. Classical ballet is a widely known and practiced art, there have only been a few limited studies on the physiological and immunological consequences imparted by this kind of dance and the resulting implications on dancers’ health. Searching for good serum markers of lesions and inflammation that appear during physical exertion may be an important strategy to establish appropriate exercise intensity for ballerinas. It is important to establish the amount of time required for ballerinas to Mediators of Inflammation recover from exercise-related tissue damage, thereby avoiding chronic inflammation

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