title: Etiology and body area of injuries in young female dancers presenting to sports medicine clinic: A comparison by age group.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Improving knowledge regarding injuries sustained by pediatric dancers is important in order to better understand injury risk. The aim of this study is to analyze dance injury etiology and body area by age in a cohort of young female dancers presenting to a pediatric sports/dance medicine clinic.
  
  
  METHODS
  The cross-sectional epidemiological study of a 5% probability sample of dancers evaluated between 1/1/2000 and 12/31/2009 with a musculoskeletal injury requiring physician evaluation. A total of 2,133 charts were reviewed from which 171 female dancers 8-17 years old (mean age 14.7 years) were identified. Data were stratified by age, < 12 years and ≥ 12 years, and analyzed based on injury body area, type, and etiology. Fisher's exact test was used to determine statistical significance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Injuries sustained by dancers in the younger age category (< 12 years) were largely to the foot-ankle/lower leg/knee (93.3%) versus thigh-hip/spine/upper extremity (6.7%). In comparison, dancers in the older age group (≥ 12 years) had a large proportion of injuries to the foot-ankle/lower leg/knee (67.3%) as well, but had a notably larger fraction of injuries to the thigh-hip/spine/upper extremity (32.7%; p = 0.04). Approximately two-thirds of the injuries sustained in the younger age group (< 12 years) were classified as bony. In comparison, injuries in the older age group (≥ 12 years) were roughly half bony and half soft tissue (51.3% and 48.7%, respectively; p = 0.29). Most injuries were overuse in etiology for both younger and older age groups (86.7% and 82.1%, respectively; p = 1.00). Through puberty, there was a decline in the injuries to the foot-ankle/lower leg/knee. Conversely, there was an increase in the thigh/hip-pelvis/spine/upper extremity injuries through growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Injuries to young female dancers in this study cohort were mostly categorized as overuse in etiology, and differed by the age group and the body area. Increased information regarding dance injuries can help guide future injury prevention efforts.
authors.affiliation: a 1 The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention , Waltham, MA, USA.|b 2 Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|c 3 Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|d 4 Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Stracciolini
authors.affiliation: d 4 Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|e 5 Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation , Charlestown, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Amy X
authors.initials: AX
authors.lastname: Yin
authors.affiliation: a 1 The Micheli Center for Sports Injury Prevention , Waltham, MA, USA.|b 2 Boston Children's Hospital, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Division of Sports Medicine , Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|d 4 Harvard Medical School , Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Dai
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sugimoto
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D000554:Ambulatory Care Facilities; D001154:Art; D001265:Athletic Injuries; D001842:Bone and Bones / Q000293:injuries; D002648:Child; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D012090:Cumulative Trauma Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003615:Dancing / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006128:Growth; D006801:Humans; D035002:Lower Extremity; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases; D015995:Prevalence; D011627:Puberty; D017695:Soft Tissue Injuries; D013131:Spine; D013178:Sports Medicine; D034941:Upper Extremity
keywords: Children; epidemiology; growth; performing arts