ABSTRACT
Dance is physically demanding, requiring physical fitness (PF) that includes upper body, lower body, core fitness, and balance for successful performance. Whether PF changes as dancers advance from when they enter (freshmen) to when they graduate from their collegiate program (seniors) is unclear. We prospectively compared collegiate dancers' freshman-to-senior PF. We recorded PF in regard to upper body strength endurance (push-ups), core strength endurance (front, left-side, right-side, and extensor plank hold times), lower body power (single leg hop-SLH-distances % height; Leg Symmetry Index: LSI = higher/lower × 100, %), and balance (anterior reach balance, % leg length, LL; LSI balance = higher/lower × 100, %) in 23 female collegiate dancers (freshman age = 18.2 ± 0.6 years). Repeated measures ANOVAs (p ≤ 0.05) were used to compare measures from freshman to senior years. Across their collegiate programs, dancers' PF remained unchanged. Specifically, their upper body strength endurance push-up numbers (p = 0.93), their core strength endurance plank times (left: p = 0.44, right: p = 0.67, front: p = 0.60, p = 0.22), their SLH distances (left: p = 0.44, right: p = 0.85), and their symmetry (p = 0.16) stayed similar. Also, dancers' right leg (p = 0.08) and left leg balance (p = 0.06) remained similar, with better balance symmetry (p < 0.001) in seniors. Overall, dancers' PF did not change across their collegiate programs. Thus, female dancers' freshman PF may be an adequate baseline reference measure when devising rehabilitation programs and determining readiness-to-return-to-activity post injury.
ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: Ankle stabilizers can reduce ankle sprain incidence and severity by limiting range of motion. Still whether using them affects performance remains unclear. The authors compared effects of 3 ankle stabilizers, tape, lace-up (Swede-O Ankle Lok), and semirigid (Air-Cast Air-Stirrup) braces, and a nonsupport control on vertical jump (Sargent Jump Test), agility (Right-Boomerang Run test), and dynamic balance (Modified Bass Test) in 10 volunteers (4 males, 6 females; 25.6 ± 2.8 years, 167.8 ± 13.7 cm, 61.4 ± 10.7 kg) using repeated-measures ANOVAs. Participants had similar vertical jump (P = .27; control = 41.40 ± 11.89 cm, tape = 37.90 ± 7.92 cm, Swede-O = 41.40 ± 11.89 cm, Air-Cast = 39.29 ± 10.85 cm) and dynamic balance (P = .08; control = 92.50 ± 2.46, tape = 91.55 ± 3.53, Swede-O = 97.00 ± 5.32, Air-Cast = 89.40 ± 6.08) but differing agility scores (P = .03; control = 13.55 ± 1.35 seconds, tape = 14.03 ± 1.5 seconds, Swede-O = 14.10 ± 1.36 seconds, Air-Cast = 14.14 ± 1.41 seconds). Post hoc tests revealed a significant difference (P = .03) between control and Air-Cast but not between Swede-O (P = .06) or tape (P = .07). Effect size (d) analyses indicated that compared with control, all stabilizers trended to increase agility run times (tape, d = 0.33; Swede-O, d = 0.40; Air-Cast, d = 0.43). Since participants primarily required sagittal plane motion when jumping vertically and had relatively slow directional changes in the dynamic balance test, wearing ankle stabilizers did not hamper jump or balance. However, ankle stabilizers hindered participants' ability to perform quick directional changes required in the agility test, with the most rigid stabilizer (Air-Cast) affecting agility the most. Clinicians should be aware that ankle stabilizers may affect some performance measures (agility) but not others (jumping, balance) and continue examinations in larger cohorts. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, Level II.
