title: Dance floor mechanical properties and dancer injuries in a touring professional ballet company.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The mechanical properties of the floors used by dancers have often been suggested to be associated with injury, yet limited etiological evidence is available to support this hypothesis. The dance floors at three theatres regularly used by a touring professional ballet company were mechanically quantified with the aim of comparing floor properties with injury incidence in dancers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross sectional.
  
  
  METHODS
  Test points on the floors were quantified in accordance with European Sports Surface Standard protocols for force reduction. Injuries and associated variables occurring within the ballet company dancers during activity on the three floors were recorded by the company's medical staff. An injury was recorded if a dancer experienced an incident that restricted the dancer from performing all normal training or performance activities for a 24 h period. Injuries were delimited to those occurring in the lower limbs or lumbar region during non-lifting tasks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Floor construction varied between venues and a range of floor mechanical properties were observed. None of the floors complied with the range of force reduction values required by the European Sport Surface Standards. The highest injury rate was observed on the floor with the greatest variability of force reduction magnitudes. No difference in injury frequency was observed between the venues with the highest and lowest mean force reduction magnitudes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Professional dancers can be required to perform on floors that may be inadequate for safe dance practice. Intra-floor force reduction variability may have a stronger association with injury risk than mean floor force reduction magnitude.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Sciences, University of Notre Dame Australia, Australia; School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: luke.hopper@nd.edu.au.
authors.forename: Luke S
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Hopper
authors.affiliation: Jerwood Centre for the Prevention and Treatment of Dance Injuries, UK; National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science, UK.
authors.forename: Nick
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.affiliation: National Institute for Dance Medicine and Science, UK; School of Sport, Performing Arts and Leisure, University of Wolverhampton, UK.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyon
authors.affiliation: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Jacqueline A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Alderson
authors.affiliation: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Bruce C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Elliott
authors.affiliation: School of Sport Science, Exercise and Health, University of Western Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Ackland
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001265:Athletic Injuries / Q000209:etiology*; D003615:Dancing / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D005430:Floors and Floorcoverings; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055595:Mechanical Phenomena; D011446:Prospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Dance; Floor surfaces; Injury risk