Do Grade II Ankle Sprains Have Chronic Effects on the Functional Ability of Ballet Dancers Performing Single-Leg Flat-Foot Stance? An Observational Cross-Sectional Study

Bruno Dino Bodini,Valerio Sansone,Pietro Serafin,Jacopo A Vitale,Francesco Negrini,Antonio Serafin,Lorenzo Barone,Giacomo Lucenteforte

doi:10.3390/app10010155

Bruno Dino Bodini, Valerio Sansone + Show 6 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/app10010155

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Abstract

Ballet dancers have a higher risk than the general population of ankle sprains. Ankle proprioception is of the utmost importance for executing static and dynamic positions typical of ballet dancing. Ankle sprains can create changes in functional ability that may affect ballet performance. The aim of this cross-sectional observational study is to evaluate if non-professional ballet dancers that were previously injured with a grade II ankle sprain carry a long-term stability deficit in ballet specific positions (passé, arabesque) and in single-leg flat-foot stance, thereby affecting ballet performance. We enrolled 22 amateur female ballet dancers, 11 who previously had a grade II ankle injury and 11 who had no history of ankle injury. Stabilometric data (Center of Pressure Speed and Elipse Area) were assessed with the postural electronic multisensory baropodometer in normal, arabesque, and passè positions with both open and closed eyes. Using an unpaired t-test, we compared healthy and pathological feet of the ankle injury group for a standard monopodalic position and two ballet-specific positions. No difference between pathological and healthy feet of non-professional ballet dancers who suffered grade II ankle injury was detected. According to the parameters considered in this study, grade II ankle sprains seem to have a favorable prognosis in the sample that we evaluated.

Highlights

Ballet dancers have a great need for stability and balance control [1,2], along with a high level of general “flexibility”, which are peculiar characteristics that improve with ballet training [1,3,4,5]
Considering the high incidence and prevalence of ankle injuries in professional and non-professional ballet dancers, and the primary role of ankle control to perform ballet-specific tasks, the aim of our study was to understand if non-professional ballet dancers, previously injured with a grade II ankle sprain, compared to dancers who did not suffer any ankle injury, carry a long-term stability deficit in ballet specific positions, thereby affecting ballet performance
The internationally approved stabilometric parameters [35] we evaluated in this paper are: (1) Ellipse area, contains 90% of the positions sampled of the center of pressure (CoP) and represents the dispersion of the oscillations and the precision of the system; and (2) CoP speed, the average speed related to the CoP oscillations

Summary

Introduction

Ballet dancers have a great need for stability and balance control [1,2], along with a high level of general “flexibility”, which are peculiar characteristics that improve with ballet training [1,3,4,5]. Ankle control is of the utmost importance for executing static and dynamic positions typical of ballet dancing [6,7]. In 2017, Vassallo et al reported the epidemiology of dance-related injuries between 2000 and 2013, defining ankle sprains as the most common injury [8]. Smith et al and Smith et al collected data about their incidence and prevalence [9,10]. Ankle sprains could cause chronic functional ability changes, as is common in groups of dancers and non-dancers.

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