Surgical procedures in a national ballet company ? 22 years experience ? 1984 ? 2006

Crichton, Ken MBBS (Hons), FACSP, The Australian Ballet, Melbourne Victoria, Australia

Purpose

To develop a long term prospective view of ballet related surgery aiming to identify trends in injury requiring surgery.

Participants, setting, equipment

The company is a premier national ballet company presently 68 dancers and consisting of between 55 and 70 male and female dancers over the period of the study.

Various surgeons were selected. 

Procedure

The author as medical director and the medical team (as it evolved over these years) have been closely involved with every surgery that has occurred to a company ballet dancer between 1984 and 2006 inclusive and have documented the type of surgery and the level of recovery.

Results

Ninety two surgical procedures were recorded between 1984 and 2006 inclusive with Ankle surgery (42) as expected being the most common. Posterior Impingement (24) and Anterior Impingent (10) procedures predominate overall and in this area.

Other areas requiring surgery included Knee (29) including five Anterior Cruciate Ligament reconstructions and thirteen meniscal procedures, Foot (9), Hip (5, all arthroscopic labral procedures with varying chondral involvement) Shoulder (4), leg (2), Other 1 (nasal septoplasty post fracture).

Three dancers out of the 92 did not return to full dance postoperatively due to continued joint or tendon dysfunction. These will be discussed.

No significant surgical complications occurred in this group.   

Conclusions

This is a presentation of a long term prospective study of the surgical requirements of an elite ballet company. 

Appropriate selection of the surgeon is essential. There is a need for expert, early and aggressive rehabilitation of dancers postoperatively.

An approach for posterior impingement procedures and anterior cruciate ligament surgery will be discussed.