Predicting Injury Status in Adolescent Dancers Involved in Different Dance Styles: A Prospective Study.

Damir Sekulic,Mia Peric,Petra Zaletel,Dasa Prus,Ante Zevrnja

doi:10.3390/children7120297

Damir Sekulic, Mia Peric + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/children7120297

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Journal: Children	Publication Date: Dec 16, 2020
Citations: 7	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Split, University of Ljubljana

Abstract

The positive effects of dance on health indices in youth are widely recognized, but participation in dance is accompanied with a certain risk of injury. This prospective study aimed to investigate injury occurrence and to evaluate the possible influences of specific predictors on the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems and injuries in adolescent dancers. Participants were 126 dancers (21 males; 11–18 years), who were competitors in the urban dance, rock and roll, and standard/Latin dance genres. Predictors included sociodemographic factors, anthropometric/body build indices, sport (dance) factors, and dynamic balance. The outcome variable was injury status, and this was evaluated by the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Overuse Injury Questionnaire (OSTRC). Predictors were evaluated at baseline, and outcomes were continuously monitored during the study period of 3 months. During the study course, 53% of dancers reported the occurrence of a musculoskeletal problem/injury, and dancers suffered from an average of 0.72 injuries over the study period (95% CI: 0.28–1.41), giving a yearly injury rate of 280%. Gender and dance styles were not significantly related to the occurrence of injury. Higher risk for injury was evidenced in older and more experienced dancers. Dynamic balance, as measured by the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT), was a significant protective factor of injury occurrence, irrespective of age/experience in dance. Knowing the simplicity and applicability of the SEBT, continuous monitoring of dynamic balance in adolescent dancers is encouraged. In order to prevent the occurrence of musculoskeletal problems/injuries in youth dancers, we suggest the incorporation of specific interventions aimed at improving dynamic balance.

Highlights

The importance of participating in sufficient physical activity (PA) in childhood and adolescence and the benefits of PA on physical health, mental health, academic performance, and social well-being have been well proven [1,2,3,4,5]
This study provides evidence of the negative influences of age and experience on injury occurrence among adolescent dancers
This is a logical consequence of greater sport demands and a higher volume of training

Summary

Introduction

The importance of participating in sufficient physical activity (PA) in childhood and adolescence and the benefits of PA on physical health, mental health, academic performance, and social well-being have been well proven [1,2,3,4,5]. To prevent a decrease in PA, various interventional programs have been constructed to encourage children and adolescents to be more physically active [10,11]. Since such programs should be Children 2020, 7, 297; doi:10.3390/children7120297 www.mdpi.com/journal/children. As some individuals begin to dance very early in their childhood, dance is a suitable form of PA that can be continuously applied whether in a professional or recreational context, throughout a participant’s lifetime [15,16,17]

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