Research Resources

Week 08

Research into running motivation and boredom

Week 12

Dancers typically specialise at a young age, which puts them at risk for certain injuries as they grow and develop. Dancers are particularly susceptible to overuse injuries because repetitive practice is central to dance training. Without proper recovery and treatment, overuse injuries may grow worse over time.
Most Common Injuries
- A dancer’s feet and ankles withstand a tremendous amount of impact, repetitive load, and a unique range of motion that can lead to injury.
- Jumping on a hard floor or landing improperly may lead to tenderness and pain in the front and inside of the lower legs.
- Turnout, turning, twisting, jumping, and landing may lead to patellofemoral pain and increase the risk for sprains and strains.
- The extreme range of motion common in many forms of dance can lead to hip pain.
- Repetitive extension or flexion mixed with sudden muscle contractions and imbalanced strength and flexibility may produce lower back pain
How to Prevent
- Focus on technique. Practicing moves with poor technique and poor body alignment can lead to soreness, strain, and injury.
- Pay close attention to the maturity, physical development, and skill levels of each dancer. Dancers should not move to the next level before they’re ready. Young ballet dancers should not dance in pointe shoes until their feet and technique are sufficiently developed. During periods of rapid growth, a dancer’s participation may need to be modified.

Ankle Sprains
- Ankle sprains are the number one traumatic injury in dancers. Traumatic injuries are different from overuse injuries as they happen unexpectedly. When an ankle is sprained, ligaments on the inside or outside of your foot get twisted or overstretched and may experience tears. Ankle sprains often happen due to improper landing from a jump, misaligned ankles (when they roll in or out) or poorly fitted shoes. Torn ligaments never heal to their preinjury condition. Once you've sprained your ankle, you are at risk of doing it again. It's important to build muscle strength to prevent further injuries.