Musculo-skeletal   [back to the Category]
The patellar syndrome.   [read the french version]
  Docteur Anne thiescé
The patellar syndrome, with or without real chondropathy, gives rise to pains which are sometimes coupled with jamming, clicking, feelings of instability, or collapsing. Pains are anterior.

They initially appear when the dancer is stationary in the "demi-plié" position and active at the beginning and the end of the "grand plié".

Pain then becomes part of every day life, going up and down stairs, even sitting still for a long time is painful.

Treatment is based on a functional re-education: isometric strengthening of the vastus medialis in the last degrees of extension, stretching the rectus femoris muscles.

This re-education must combine the "plié" exercise: quadriceps femoris relaxed, turn out taken from the hip, rising from the "plié" using muscle groups other than the quadriceps femoris.

Bibliography :

Calais-Germain B.: Le plié… Plusieurs conduites musculaires. Médecine des arts-- 1996, 15, p33-35.

Calais-Germain B.: Protection rotulienne dans le " plié " par une coordination particulière des muscles de hanche et genou. Médecine des arts- 1993, 5, p37-40.

Cazalis P.: Diagnostic et traitement d’un genou douloureux. Ed. Techniques. Enc. Med. Chir. (Paris-France), Appareil locomoteur, 14-325-A-10,1994 16p.

Cristofini P., Crespo J., Blanco A., Heuleu J.N.: Traitement des luxations traumatiques de rotule et danse. J. Traumatol. Sport, 1991, 8, p158-163.

Dejour H.: Instabilités de la rotule. Ed. Techniques. Enc. Med. Chir. (Paris-France), Appareil locomoteur, 14-328-A-10,1996 8p.

Kahn K., Brown J., Way S., Vass N., Crichton K., Alexender R., Baxter A., Butler M., Wark J.: Overuses injuries in Classical Ballet. Sports Med., 1995, 19, 5, p341-356.

Sabourin F.: Traumatologie et microtraumatologie au cours de la pratique de la danse. Colloque " Médecine de la Danse " Cannes 25/3/1995.

Sabourin F.: Le genou du danseur. Pré-actes du 4° Congrès international sur la recherche en Danse, 25-29. 09.1989.

Reid D.C.: Prevention of Hip and Knee Injuries in Ballet Dancers. Sports Medecine, 1988, 6, p295-307.


THE RUDOLF NUREYEV MEDICAL WEBSITE - Dedicated to dancers and health professionals