National survey to evaluate musuloskeletal health in retired professional ballet dancers in the United Kingdom.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the musculoskeletal health of retired professional ballet dancers in the United Kingdom (UK).


METHODS
Online national survey.


METHODS
Retired professional ballet dancers living in the UK.


METHODS
The survey explored: what musculoskeletal injuries or diseases are experienced by retired professional ballet dancers; which anatomical regions were affected by musculoskeletal injuries or diseases in retired professional ballet dancers; whether ballet dancers were forced to retire from professional ballet due to musculoskeletal injuries or disease.


RESULTS
Forty-six retired ballet dancers responded. Thirty-six percent (n = 17) of respondents reported retiring from ballet due to musculoskeletal injury. The median age when respondents retired from professional ballet was 29 years. The most common issues that caused people to retire were hip and back pain (25%; n = 9 respectively), followed by hamstring injuries, ankle injuries, cervical spine injuries, and anterior knee pain (13% respectively; n = 5). Ninety-one percent (n = 42) reported experiencing muscle and joint pain post-retirement.


CONCLUSIONS
Musculoskeletal pain and disease was a problem for respondents in this study. Further investigation is needed to define the problem, so management can be examined. Comparing performance and training regimes to injury rates in professional dancers, and then following these cohorts into retirement, would increase knowledge on this population.
School of Health Sciences, University of East Anglia, UK. Electronic address: toby.smith@uea.ac.uk.
T O
TO
Smith
Institute of Sports, Exercise and Health, University College London, London, UK.
A
A
de Medici
Emergency Medicine, Whittington Hospital, Whittington Hospital NHS Trust, London, UK.
U
U
Oduoza
Hypermobility Unit, Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth, London, UK.
A
A
Hakim
Institute of Sports, Exercise and Health, University College London, London, UK.
B
B
Paton
Ballet Healthcare, The Royal Ballet, London, UK.
G
G
Retter
Institute of Sports, Exercise and Health, University College London, London, UK.
F S
FS
Haddad
Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK.
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A
Macgregor
D000328:Adult; D003615:Dancing / Q000293:injuries*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009140:Musculoskeletal Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012179:Retirement; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
Ballet; Long-term; Osteoarthritis; Risk factors