Dance exposure, general health, sleep and injury in elite adolescent Irish dancers: A prospective study.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate dance exposure, sleep, general health and injury in elite adolescent Irish dancers.

DESIGN

Prospective study.

SETTING

Six Irish dance schools in Ireland.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-seven elite Irish dancers, aged 13-17, competing at the highest championship level for at least the previous year.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported weekly hours of dance, general health, sleep quality, monthly and annual height and weight, injury incidence.

RESULTS

Overall injury incidence (time-loss plus non-time-loss) and time-loss only injury incidence were 9.3 injuries, and 4.5 injuries, per 1000 hours of dance respectively. At least one injury was incurred by 86.5% of participants, with the foot/ankle most commonly affected. There were no statistically significant associations (p>0.05) between injury and sleep quality, or annual change in height/weight. There was some evidence of a statistically significant association between injury and health quality, with poorer health associated with increased levels of injury. There was no evidence of a statistically significant association between the probability of injury over time and sleep quality one week earlier, health quality one week earlier, or training load one and two weeks earlier.

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of injury in elite adolescent Irish dance is considerable with many dancers continuing to dance when injured. Increased dance exposure is associated with new injury.