Risk Factors: The Injuries Of A Dancer

Dancers are far more than just artists, but they are athletes as well. Behind every performer are extraordinary flexibility, power, balance, and endurance. In order to execute very technical movements, the body takes on positions that place a lot of stress on bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments, which can lead to high injury rates. Throughout their lifetime, nearly 90% of dancers experience some form of injury. Injuries experienced by dancers can be potentially devastating to his or her dance career. Dancers are exposed to a wide range of risk factors related to injuries. Risks range for the type of dance and frequency of classes, rehearsals, and performances, the duration of training, and the environmental conditions such as hard floors and cold studios. Varying equipment, especially shoes, the individual dancer’s body alignment, and prior injury history are all factor that influence a dancer’s risk for injury.

This typically occurs between the ages of eight and twelve for girls and ten and fourteen for boys. During puberty, a child’s bones are the weakest, which places the dancer at risk for fractures and stress fractures. Injuries in the foot or ankle, knee and thigh, hip, spine, shoulder, and elbow, wrist or hand are all common places of injury for a dancer. The common injuries experienced in the various parts of the body all vary with corresponding treatments and prevention tips. As a dancer, it is important to be aware of the following injuries, treatments, and prevention strategies in order to maintain a successful