Lifetime injury rates are high for dancers and to reduce the risk of injuries, you need to understand how they occur. 

Dance-related injuries are influenced by numerous factors, and when all of them come together, you are at risk for injury. These injuries can be intrinsic or extrinsic. Intrinsic injuries relate to something over which you have control, like poor technique. An extrinsic variable lies beyond your control; such as dancing on a slippery surface. If you dance on a slippery surface while using poor technique, you are setting yourself up for an injury.

Let’s take a closer look at the factors influencing the risk of injury and basic steps to reduce it.

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Intrinsic Factors

1- Poor Technique

Many injuries can happen to dancers who exhibit poor technique. When performing challenging movements without sufficient strength, proper alignment, and good flexibility, chances for an injury gets higher. Pay attention to your instructor to learn more about proper alignment and using the correct muscles as a dancer. The instructor’s responsibility is to help students advance their technique by educating them about wellness, body structure, and good alignment.

2- Fatigue

Dance injuries that tend to occur in the afternoon, evening, or toward the end of the performance season might suggest fatigue as a cause. When you are tired, it’s harder to control your balance and you might lose the ability to land jumps with appropriate alignment.

Sleeping is also associated with injuries. Having trouble getting to sleep, and experiencing sleepiness during the day have a negative impact on your ability to perform. Lack of quality sleep affects recovery, coordination, memory, and ability to learn new choreography.

3- Cardiovascular Weakness

While some dance performances may provide high-intensity levels of exercise, technique classes focus more on artistic aesthetics rather than cardiovascular conditioning. Class and rehearsals do not improve cardiovascular fitness, because the exercises you perform are so intermittent that your heart rate does not reach maximum levels. Incorporating cross training and fitness classes that support aerobic conditioning is associated with reducing fatigue and has a positive impact on reducing injury rates.

4- Nutrition Factors

Poor nutrition is also associated with injuries. It may result from restricting calories, a lack of healthy choices in your diet, or the overconsumption of sugar, saturated fats, and sodium. Eating disorders such as bulimia or anorexia should be diagnosed and treated by a qualified health care provider. Disordered eating may cause a dancer to avoid major food groups, eat only certain foods, or engage in emotional eating. Dancers, teachers, studio owners, and choreographers are encouraged to receive nutritional education from qualified health care providers to have a better understanding of how healthy choices can reduce injury risks.

5- Psychological Factors

Stress and poor psychological coping skills are also important with injuries. If you are struggling to meet the demands of your rehearsal schedule, expectations or competitions, then you are probably putting yourself at risk for injury. The psychological distress of anxiety is a precursor to injury. If you are having chronic difficulty coping with the demands of your rehearsal, performance, and competition schedule, please seek advice from a health care provider.

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Extrinsic Factors

1- Floors

Typically, you would like to dance on a sprung floor, which helps distribute the forces when landing. Sprung floors are made of wood placed over a subfloor frame of pine board. A sprung floor reduces the risk of knee and ankle injury by absorbing some of the force involved in landing from jumps. In contrast, injuries have been reported on hardwood floors laid over concrete, on carpet laid over concrete, and on floors that are either slippery or sticky.

2- Shoes and Costumes

There’s not enough research on how shoes affect injury rates among dancers. But we do know that ballet slippers, Irish dance soft shoes, and some jazz shoes provide little support for the midfoot or arch. Even less support is available when dancing barefoot, which provides no shock absorption when landing. In contrast, lower injury rates are reported in tap dancers, perhaps because tap shoes provide more foot support. Pointe shoes, on the other hand, lack shock absorption, and do not provide ankle stability. When the pointe shoe begins to break down, you are at risk for injury. Proper fit, foot and ankle strengthening, taping techniques, and padding may help reduce injury.

Ornate, embellished, complex costumes, baggy pants may create a fall risk. Costumes, masks, or headpieces that might obstruct your view can create a hazard. Heavy wigs and headpieces can put stress on your neck, shoulders, and upper back. If elaborate costumes and headpieces are part of your performance, remember to schedule plenty of dress rehearsals so you have time to adapt to your costume.

3- Training

Many dance injuries are caused by overuse, overtraining, or over rehearsing. For example, if you ramp up rehearsals when you are tired you invariably stress your body, which may result in any number of injuries. The typical full day of rehearsals for competition dancers, university dancers, or professionals may not provide enough rest to reduce injury risks.

Header photo by Kristina Polianskaia

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