IADMS New York 2002   [back to the Category]

Initial Findings of the Second National Inquiry into Dancers’ Health and Injury in the UK...   [read the french version]

Author :   Helen Laws

Initial Findings of the Second National Inquiry into
Dancers’ Health and Injury in the UK: A Comparison Study


Presented by Helen Laws
Dance UK
London, England
for
Dance UK’s Medical Advisory Committee and Physiotherapy Advisory Group


The aim of this inquiry was to audit the UK’s professional and pre-professional dance population 8 years on from the inquiry carried out by D.r Peter Brinson and Dance UK in 1994, (published in Fit to Dance? in 1996), in terms of their health and experience of injury. In this presentation we will focus on key findings of prevalence, site, type and perceived causes of injury and compare current findings with those from 1994.

Questionnaires for dancers, teachers and company/school management, were distributed to the UK’s professional dance companies and vocational dance schools.

Results from the survey carried out in 1994 showed that over 80% of dancers (professional and pre-professional) had incurred an injury in the previous 12 months. The main sites of injury were the lower back followed by knees and ankles, and injuries were predominantly muscular.

The main perceived cause of injury was fatigue or overwork. 60% of contemporary professionals and 57% of ballet professionals agreed that this was by far the major cause with unsuitable floor, repetitive movements and cold environment the next most cited causes of injury.

Dance UK’s Healthier Dancer Program has been disseminating information and providing educational talks and workshops for dancers since the early nineties, largely based on the recommendations from the 1994 health and injury survey. By comparing the initial findings of this second UK inquiry with the findings 8 years ago we will start to see whether an increased awareness of injury prevention issues in the UK has had a tangible effect on injury rates. It will also help us to decide what the main areas of focus should be for the coming years in terms of further education and awareness raising, to reduce dancers’ risk of injury.