Injuries in Estonian professional ballet dancers in the 2019/2020 season

Abstract

The aim of the study was to find the occurrence of musculoskeletal injuries in Estonia professional ballet dancers in the 2019/2020 season. A total of 62 dancers participated in the study, 25 were male and 37 female dancers. This study was a questionnaire-based, which was compiled on similar studies to collect the data among ballet dancers working in Estonia. The study showed that 58% of dancers were injured in the last 12 months. The most common type of dance injury during this period was muscle or tendon strain (33%), followed chronic inflammation (21%) and ankle sprain (20%). The most common injured body site was foot (20%), ankle (18%) and knee joint (10%). The highest number of injuries occurred during rehearsals (44%), classical class (27%), and during performances (16%). More than half of Estonian ballet dancers sustained at least one injury during the last twelve months. The most common types of injury were muscle or tendon strain, chronic inflammation and ankle sprain. The highest number of injuries occurred in the foot, whereas the highest number of injuries occurred during rehearsals.