Abstract
The foot and ankle are prone to injury in the performing arts population, not least amongst dancers who require extreme ranges of movement in this area. This is a complex anatomical area which can be vulnerable to wide array of injuries. Many of these injuries stem from the dancer’s posture, technique and environmental factors such as footwear and flooring; therefore, a thorough understanding of these by the clinician is important to ensure full rehabilitation and to prevent recurrence. This article presents an overview of the most common injuries seen in the dancer population and explores the underlying postural, technical and environmental factors that need to be addressed for full recovery.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Quirk R (1984) Injuries in classical ballet. Aust Fam Physician 13(11):802–804
Shah S et al (2012) Injuries in professional modern dancers: incidence, risk factors and management. J Dance Med Sci 6(1):17–25
Hamilton WG, Bauman PA (1988) Foot and ankle injuries in dancers. Clin Sports Med 7(1):143–173
Russell JA (2010) Acute ankle sprain in dancers. J Dance Med Sci 14(3):90
Hamilton WG (1982) Sprained ankles in ballet dancers. Foot Ankle 3(2):99–102
Kadel N (2006) Foot and ankle injuries in dance. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am 17:813–826
Norkus SA, Floyd RT (2001) The anatomy and mechanisms of syndesmotic ankle sprains. J Athl Train 36(1):68–73
Kennedy JG et al (2007) Foot and ankle injuries in dancers. Int Sport Med J 8(3):141–165
Hamilton WG (1976) “Dancer’s tendinitis” of the FHL tendon. Presented at the Second Annual Meeting of the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Durango, Colorado, July 11–14
Dozzi PA, Winter DA (1993–1994) Biomechanical analysis of the foot during rise to full pointe: implications for injuries to the metatarsophalangeal joints and shoe re-design. Kinesiology and Med for Dance 16(1):1–11
Hamilton WG et al (1996) Pain in the posterior aspect of the ankle in dancers: differential diagnosis and operative treatment. J Bone Joint Surg Am 78(10):1491–1500
Kadel NJ, Donaldson-Fletcher EA (2004) Lisfranc fracture–dislocation in a male ballet dancer during take-off of a jump. J Dance Med Sci 8(2):56–58
Einarsdottir H, Troell S, Wykman A (1995) Hallux valgus in ballet dancers: a myth? Foot Ankle Int 16(2):92–94
O’Malley MJ, Hamilton WG, Munyak J (1996) Fractures of the fifth metatarsal, “dancer’s fracture”. Am J Sports Med 24(2):240–243
Kadel NJ, Teitz CC, Kronmal RA (1992) Stress fractures in ballet dancers. Am J Sports Med 20(4):445–449
American Ballet Theatre (2008) The healthy dancer. Ballet Theatre Foundation Inc, New York
Wanke EM et al (2012) Dance floors as injury risk. Med Probl Perform Arts 27(3):137–142
O’Malley MJ, Hamilton WG, Munyak J, DeFranco MJ (1996) Stress fractures at the base of the second metatarsal in ballet dancers. Foot Ankle Int 17(2):88–94
Disclosures
None.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Morton, J. The virtuoso foot. Clin Rheumatol 32, 439–447 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-013-2187-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-013-2187-5