Breakdance injuries and overuse syndromes in amateurs and professionals.
BACKGROUND
Serious injuries due to breakdancing have been presented only as singular case reports to date. So far, there have been no comprehensive studies about injuries in this sport.


OBJECTIVE
Professional breakdancing might lead to a higher incidence of injuries than amateur training. Wearing safety equipment is correlated with a decreased incidence of injuries and pain.


METHODS
Descriptive epidemiology study.


METHODS
The retrospective study surveyed 40 breakdance professionals and 104 amateurs by questionnaire.


RESULTS
There were 1665 injuries and 206 overuse syndromes found in 380 588 hours of training, leading to a loss of 10 970.6 training days. Professionals reported significantly (P < .001) more injuries and overuse syndromes with significantly more injuries of the wrist (P < .001), knee (P < .001), hip/thigh (P = .003), ankle/foot (P = .013), and elbow (P = .033). No significant differences were found in the time lost per injury and the time lost per overuse syndrome. Pain occurred most frequently in the region of the wrist, spine, shoulder, and ankle. A negative correlation between protective gear and injuries or frequency of pain could not be shown.


CONCLUSIONS
Breakdancing must be considered as a potentially high-risk dancing sport. Even with severe injuries, dancers interrupt training only for limited periods of time.


CONCLUSIONS
Breakdance injuries and overuse should not be underestimated. Physicians should be aware of the common risks in this highly acrobatic kind of dancing.
Kauther
Max Daniel
MD
University of Duisburg-Essen, Department of Orthopaedics, Germany. maxdaniel.kauther@uk-essen.de
Wedemeyer
Christian
C
Wegner
Alexander
A
Kauther
Kai Michael
KM
von Knoch
Marius
M
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003615:Dancing / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011481:Protective Clothing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult