Weekly injury rates within semesters of a three-year tertiary dance program, and prospective training monitoring across one semester of training: a longitudinal study

ABSTRACT

Dance research should consider time points within a season that may be associated with injury, and report on weekly dance training loads. The current study aimed to analyse injuries within each semester and participant, monitor load, mood and stress within one semester, and calculate compliance with monitoring in a tertiary dance training cohort. The dance training program that participants are drawn from is a six-semester, three-year undergraduate course, training in ballet and contemporary dance. A better understanding of injury in dance may further refine load management and injury prevention strategies. Fourteen tertiary dance students consented to participate. A medical attention injury definition was used. Weekly injury rate ratios  within each 14-week semester were calculated. Participants completed ratings of perceived exertion , and mood and stress questionnaires across one semester. Injuries were significantly increased for Week 5, Semester 1; Week 2, Semester 2; and Week 1, Semester 3, and 4. Spikes in load coincided with injury spikes, as observed visually on a line graph. Certain weeks in proximity to a change in training schedule had increased injury. Applying training principles in response to monitoring, specifically to return to dance after a holiday period, may aid in reducing injuries at this time requiring further investigation.

KEYWORDS:

• Dance
• ballet
• contemporary dance
• injury prevention
• training load
• training load monitoring
• periodisation

Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dimitrios Vagenas for statistical assistance and Rebecca Hazleden for guidance in copyediting and proofreading an earlier version of the manuscript.

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Melanie Fuller

Dr Melanie Fuller is an Australian researcher investigating reducing injuries in dance. She has postgraduate qualifications in both sports and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, tertiary training in dance, and works clinically with dancers from professional to recreational. Melanie’s PhD research investigated injuries across and within a training year and career phases in ballet and contemporary dance, as well as perceptions of artistic and health professionals regarding training practices. She is currently the President of the Australian Society for Performing Arts Healthcare. Melanie is passionate about reducing injuries in dance, and loves working with dance professionals to implement injury prevention strategies in dance.

Gene Margaret Moyle

Professor Gene Moyle is a graduate from the Australian Ballet School and QUT Dance, retraining as a sport and exercise psychologist following a brief career as a professional dancer. Gene has focused upon both the application and research of performance psychology and performance enhancement, particularly within the performing arts and has significant experience in working with and leading multidisciplinary teams within high performance settings (i.e., Olympic programs). She possesses specific expertise in the area of career development and transition in both elite sport and the performing arts, and contributes regularly to the literature on the ethical considerations of sport, exercise and performance psychology practice.

Geoffrey Minett

Geoffrey Minett is an Associate Professor in exercise and sports science and Discipline Lead for Sport, Exercise, Health, and Physical Education at QUT. Geoff is an Exercise and Sports Science Australia (ESSA) Accredited Exercise Scientist and Accredited Sports Scientist (Level 2). He teaches in the areas of exercise physiology and performance analysis, and maintains research and professional interests in understanding the interactions between exercise performance and fatigue. This work includes laboratory-based investigations, where environmental stressors (e.g., heat) are used to exacerbate underlying mechanisms, and applied fieldwork, where the development of monitoring systems is key.