Dance injury and prevention strategies in
recreational dancers: abridged secondary publication
AYL Wong1, PSH Yung2, D Samartzis3, DKC Chan4, B Surgenor5, C Hiller6, C Chan7, V Schoeb8, D Harbutt9
1 Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic
University, Hong Kong SAR, China
2 Department of Orthopaedics and Traumatology, The Chinese University
of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
3 Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Rush University Medical Center, Australia
4 Department of Early Childhood Education, The Education University of
Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
5 Victorian College of the Arts, University of Melbourne, Australia
6 Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Australia
7 Department of Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
8 School of Health Sciences, University of Applied Sciences and Arts Western Switzerland, Switzerland
9 Educational Development Centre, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Among 1465 dancers, the risk of dance injuries was almost doubled in professional dancers compared with amateur dancers.
- Among 704 teenage dancers, the three most common sites of dance-related injuries were the knee (14.9%), ankle (14.8%), and lower back (10.4%).
- Among teenage recreational dancers, scoliosis was an independent risk factor associated with a higher 12-month prevalence of injuries to the lower back (odds ratio=2.7) or knee (odds ratio=2.6).
- Teenage dancers and their parents perceived that dance training increases the risk of dance injuries; dance injuries can cause negative emotions in teenage dancers; and some dancers may ignore injuries and delay post-injury healthcare seeking.
- Both teenage dancers and their parents considered that dance instructors are the first person to provide opinions regarding dance injury management.
- Both online and face-to-face workshops for dance instructors can improve dance injury prevention knowledge among both instructors and students.