Musculoskeletal injuries in professional modern dancers: a prospective cohort study of 15 years

ABSTRACT

We analysed work-related musculoskeletal injuries (WMSI) in two modern dance companies to determine whether injury rates decreased and patterns altered compared to previous 3-yr and 6-yr audits (0.48 and 0.25/1000-hrs exposure respectively). In this prospectively designed 15-yr cohort study, data were collected in 30-dancer Company-1 and 12-dancer Company-2. In-house physical therapists tracked WMSI and time-loss-injuries for 159 dancers (42 dancers/yr). 15-yrs were grouped into five 3-yr blocks for comparison with prior audits. Negative binomial logistic regression analyses were conducted with exposure-hrs converted to the natural log and used as the offset variable. Block and company were categorical predictors for dependent variables: WMSI, time-loss-injuries, trauma-injuries and overuse-injuries (p < 0.05). 69% of dancers reported WMSI; 45% sustained at least one time-loss-injury. Company-1, with greater annual exposure, was 1.6-times more likely to sustain time-loss-injuries (p = 0.016, CI = 1.095–2.422) and 5.6-times more likely to sustain time-loss overuse-injuries (p = 0.003, CI = 1.812–17.327). Compared to Block-1, WMSI and time-loss-injuries decreased in Blocks-2, 3, and 5 (p ≤ 0.027). The ratio of time-loss overuse to trauma-injuries was reversed, with trauma-injuries accounting for over 80% of injuries by Block 5. Time-loss-injuries averaged 0.16 injuries/1000-hrs, lower than rates in ballet and sports. Decreased injury rates and changed injury patterns demonstrate efficacious injury management and prevention programming.

KEYWORDS:

• Ballet
• exposure
• overuse
• time-loss injury
• traumatic

Acknowledgments

The authors thank the dancers and artistic and administrative staff of Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT) and Ailey II for the participation in and support of the Comprehensive Injury Management Program. We also appreciate the key contributions of the physical therapists who travel with AAADT during their extensive touring and assist in the care of AAADT and Ailey II when at home at our studios. We thank Kaitlyn McKenna and Julia Ehramjian for their assistance in data entry and early data analysis. Study design, data collection, analyses and writing were supported by the ADAM Center, New York, NY.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.