Lower Limb Flexibility and Risk of Injury in Professional Dancers A comparative study of Ballet, Hip-Hop and African traditional dances

Background: Dancers are highly trained athletes who are at significant risk of injury due to the repetitive nature of their movement. It is hypothesized that injury patterns will be determined by the peculiar movement patterns and physical requirements of specific dance genres. This study was therefore undertaken to determine the association between the flexibility of the lower limb muscles and the pattern and risk of injury among professional dancers in three different dance genres. Methods: Eighty two professional dancers recruited from four (4) dance companies in Lagos State Nigeria presented as 28 indigenous African dancers, 26 ballet dancers and 28 hip hop dancers. A modified questionnaire on the epidemiology of dance injuries was administered to all participants and the degree of flexibility of the hip muscles measured by goniometry prior to warm up and stretching. Major Findings: There was a significant relationship between the flexibility of the hamstrings and injury occurrence in all the dance groups. The flexibility of the medial rotators, and the adductor group of muscles were significantly (p<0.05) related to injury occurrence respectively in the indigenous and ballet participants while a significant relationship (p<0.05) was seen between injury occurrence and flexibility of the adductors and medial rotators among hip-hop participants. Conclusion: The flexibility of the lower limb muscles is an intrinsic and a major factor contributing to injury among professional dancers. There is therefore a need to develop a stretching protocol for the different dance genres to prevent injury