The effects of strength and balance exercises on the center of pressure and plantar pressure distribution in adolescent ballet dancers

ABSTRACT

We aimed to examine whether the changes in neuromuscular strength indices and balance affect the gait patterns of five fundamental ballet techniques performed on a single leg after 8-weeks of strength+balance exercise coupled with traditional ballet classes. Thirty female ballet dancers were recruited (age:12.77 ± 1.52y). Anthropometric parameters, isokinetic ankle, knee, hip, and trunk muscle strength, and static and dynamic gait kinematics were performed using a repeated measures study design. The exercise group revealed greater knee, hip, ankle, and trunk muscle strength and lower center of pressure (COP) during follow-up measurements (p < 0.05, p < 0.001). Hip and trunk muscle strength was inversely correlated with heel impulse parameters (p < 0.05). Reduced R² values were revealed for the normalized impulse measures of the forefoot, during all five techniques. However, an increase in normalized impulse measures of the heel region of the foot, on average, to a decrease in percent forefoot/rearfoot impulse and explained a significant proportion of variance in passé (R² = 0.87), développé à la seconde side (R² = 0.73), développé à la seconde front (R² = 0.74), développé à la seconde back (R² = 0.90), and penché (R² = 0.84) heel impulse parameters. Muscle strengthening exercises and impulse-based load patterns of foot regions and COP may be used to verify the effectiveness of such treatments in redistributing the pressure throughout the foot.

KEYWORDS:

• Ballet
• neuromuscular performance
• the center of pressure
• gait
• plantar pressure

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

The work was supported by the Mersin University Department of Scientific Research Projects (BAP) [2017-2-TP3-2309].

Notes on contributors

Yağmur Arınlı

Yağmur Arinli holds a Ph.D. in Sports and Exercise Science, and she serves as the head of the department at the State Conservatory at Mersin University. She performed ballet professionally at both national and international levels and now she combines her professional experiences with theoretical and scientific concepts of ballet to teach younger ballet dancers the fundamentals of their field from a scientific standpoint.

Gökhan Umutlu

Gökhan Umutlu holds a Ph.D. in the field of Sports and Exercise Science and his research interests involve but are not limited to performance analysis and injury prevention, exercise physiology, and physical activity. He also teaches courses at Park University in the Sports and Exercise Science Department. He serves as an editorial board member at numerous peer-reviewed journals both at the national and international levels.

Zekai Pehlevan

Zekai Pehlevan holds a Ph.D. in Sports and Exercise Science, and she serves as a full-time Professor at the Faculty of Sports Sciences at Mersin University. His research interests involve but are not limited to sports pedagogy and sports psychology.