Patellofemoral pain and musculoskeletal features in young pre- and post-pubertal female dancers

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to examine associations between patellofemoral pain (PFP) and musculoskeletal features (such as tendon structure and bone properties) in young (pre- and post-pubertal) female dancers. A total of 49 dancers participated in this study (mean age 13.6 ± 2.9; weight 47.0 ± 13.2; height 153.7 ± 12.9 and body mass index (BMI) 19.4 ± 3.1) and were assessed for the following factors: dance background and Tanner stage through interviews; ultrasonography assessments of bone properties and patellar tendon structure through ultrasonographic tissue characterization and quantitative ultrasound, respectively; and anthropometric measurements, muscle strength, range of motion (ROM), hypermobility and PFP through physical examinations. PFP was found in 49% of the participants. Post-pubertal dancers with no-PFP were found to have greater muscle strength, greater radial and tibial properties, and better tendon structure compared to pre-pubertal dancers with PFP and compared to pre-pubertal dancers with no-PFP [F_{(2, 41)} = 18.64, p < .001; F_{(2, 41)} = 20.46, p < .001; F_{(2, 41)} = 33.06, p < .001; and, F_{(2, 41)} = 6.02, p = .007, respectively]. Logistic regression showed that tibial bone properties and range of movement (ROM) in hip external rotation were significantly associated with PFP [odds ratio (OR) = .889 and OR = 2.653, respectively; Cox & Snell R² = .701]. The study revealed a high prevalence of PFP among young dancers, with low bone properties and hyperjoint ROM emerging as the main factors that are related to PFP. These findings should be addressed by medical teams, athletic trainers, and dance teachers regarding the need for implementing modifications to dance training programmes and injury-prevention strategies in young pre-pubertal dancers.

KEYWORDS:

• Dance
• knee joint
• PFP
• ultrasonography
• injuries

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Ethical approval

The research study was approved by the XX Hospitals’ Human Subjects Review Board, in accordance with the Helsinki Declaration.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported that there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.