Abstract
Objectives—To evaluate in a 12 month longitudinal study changes in hip and ankle range of motion and hip muscle strength in young female novice ballet dancers.
Methods—Fifty three of the original 77 (69%) female dancers aged 8–11 years and 40 of the original 49 (82%) controls returned for follow up measurements one year later. Supine right active hip external (ER) and internal (IR) rotation were measured using an inclinometer. A turnout protractor was used to assess standing active turnout range. Range of right weight bearing ankle dorsiflexion and calf muscle length were measured in a standing lunge position using an inclinometer. A manual muscle tester was used to assess right hip flexor, IR, ER, abductor and adductor strength.
Results—The mean (SD) 12 month change in hip ER did not differ between dancers (11.7 (11.3)°) and controls (8.1 (17.6)°). Dancers gained 12.5 (13.5)° hip IR which was significantly greater than controls (0.5 (13.9)°). Greater IR change was associated with improved IR strength (r = 0.34, p<0.001). Dancers increased total turnout (12.0 (16.7)°) significantly more than controls (2.2 (20.0)°). There was no significant change in ankle dorsiflexion range in either group. Dancers and controls increased in all measures of hip muscle strength (p<0.001) and dancers achieved significantly greater gains in three out of five muscle groups (all, p<0.05).
Conclusions—Total hip range of motion increased in both ballet students and controls at this young age. However, ankle dorsiflexion did not, which is probably due to this movement being blocked by bony apposition, rather than soft tissue stretch. This has implications for ballet teachers, as it has long been accepted that this movement could be improved with training. Dancers had greater increases in hip strength after 12 months compared with controls in muscles specific for ballet, suggesting that hip strength can be trained at this young age. Whether these gains are permanent requires further study.
Key Words: dance; ballet; range of motion; muscle strength
Full Text
The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (130.9 KB).
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Bennell K., Khan K. M., Matthews B., De Gruyter M., Cook E., Holzer K., Wark J. D. Hip and ankle range of motion and hip muscle strength in young female ballet dancers and controls. Br J Sports Med. 1999 Oct;33(5):340–346. doi: 10.1136/bjsm.33.5.340. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Freedson P. S. Physical activity among children and youth. Can J Sport Sci. 1992 Dec;17(4):280–283. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Hamilton W. G., Hamilton L. H., Marshall P., Molnar M. A profile of the musculoskeletal characteristics of elite professional ballet dancers. Am J Sports Med. 1992 May-Jun;20(3):267–273. doi: 10.1177/036354659202000306. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Khan K. M., Bennell K., Ng S., Matthews B., Roberts P., Nattrass C., Way S., Brown J. Can 16-18-year-old elite ballet dancers improve their hip and ankle range of motion over a 12-month period? Clin J Sport Med. 2000 Apr;10(2):98–103. doi: 10.1097/00042752-200004000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Khan K., Brown J., Way S., Vass N., Crichton K., Alexander R., Baxter A., Butler M., Wark J. Overuse injuries in classical ballet. Sports Med. 1995 May;19(5):341–357. doi: 10.2165/00007256-199519050-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Khan K., Roberts P., Nattrass C., Bennell K., Mayes S., Way S., Brown J., McMeeken J., Wark J. Hip and ankle range of motion in elite classical ballet dancers and controls. Clin J Sport Med. 1997 Jul;7(3):174–179. doi: 10.1097/00042752-199707000-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Kirkendall D. T., Calabrese L. H. Physiological aspects of dance. Clin Sports Med. 1983 Nov;2(3):525–537. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Reid D. C., Burnham R. S., Saboe L. A., Kushner S. F. Lower extremity flexibility patterns in classical ballet dancers and their correlation to lateral hip and knee injuries. Am J Sports Med. 1987 Jul-Aug;15(4):347–352. doi: 10.1177/036354658701500409. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Trepman E., Gellman R. E., Solomon R., Murthy K. R., Micheli L. J., De Luca C. J. Electromyographic analysis of standing posture and demi-plié in ballet and modern dancers. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 1994 Jun;26(6):771–782. doi: 10.1249/00005768-199406000-00018. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wiesler E. R., Hunter D. M., Martin D. F., Curl W. W., Hoen H. Ankle flexibility and injury patterns in dancers. Am J Sports Med. 1996 Nov-Dec;24(6):754–757. doi: 10.1177/036354659602400609. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]