Psychological Aspects of Fatigue-Related Injuries in Dancers

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to review 500 dance injury reports submitted by 644 participating dancers over a two-year period to determine if patterns emerged that might shed light on behavior and/or work conditions linked with injury occurrence. Injury report forms that ascertained conditions surrounding the injury such as workload exposure, floor surface, costume, temperature, dieting behavior and menstrual status were collected by an on-site physical therapist from three different settings: a university conservatory; an urban, hospital-based outpatient orthopaedic clinic specialized in the evaluation and treatment of dance injuries; and a professional ballet company. The university and professional ballet dancers were screened at the beginning of the study for injury risks, including eating attitudes using the Eating Disorders Inventory 2 (EDI-2), and mood using the Profile of Mood States (POMS). Psychometric data from these screening inventories were evaluated by sub-groupings of dancers who had reported an injury during the subsequent study period and of those who had not. Fatigue was indicated as a significant injury factor in several data items, including injury form self-report, POMS scores, exposure hours on day of injury occurrence, time of injury, stage of season or semester, and work intensity at time of injury occurrence. EDI-2 scores for body dissatisfaction, drive for thinness, bulimic tendencies, and perfectionism were significantly higher in injured than in non-injured dancers. It is concluded that self-reports of fatigue, increased exposure to work, work of a highly intense or monotonous nature, and/or changes in mood or diet may provide strong clues to increased injury vulnerability.