Ankle mechanics during jump landings across different foot positions in professional ballet dancers.

This study aimed to investigate the effect foot position on ankle joint mechanics and vertical ground reaction forces (vGRF) across jump landings in professional ballet dancers. Twenty-seven professional ballet dancers (men: 14; women: 13) attended one data collection session, completing five maximal countermovement jumps in parallel, first, second, fourth, and fifth positions. Three-dimensional ankle mechanics, landing vGRF variables, and jump height were recorded via a seven-camera motion capture system and one force platform. A repeated measures multivariate analysis of variance was used to assess the main effects foot position across all target variables. A linear discriminate analysis was conducted to investigate target variables across foot positions. Frontal and transverse plane ankle mechanics had the largest impact when discriminating between foot positions. Ankle power in the transverse plane during jump landing in fourth was double that of all other positions. Our findings suggest that ankle range of motion should be restored before returning to jumps in fourth and fifth positions following distal lower extremity injury. The multiplanar energy transfer observed indicates a need for specific exercises to develop multiplanar force and rate of force development of local structures around the ankle.

The association of range of motion, lower limb strength, and load during jump landings in professional ballet dancers.

This study aimed to investigate the associations between peak plantarflexion ankle joint moments and vertical ground reaction forces (vGRF) during jump landings, and static ankle dorsiflexion range of motion (ROM), three-dimensional ankle excursions, and lower extremity strength in professional ballet dancers. Twenty-seven professional ballet dancers volunteered to participate (men = 14, women = 13). Participants attended one data collection session to measure dorsiflexion ROM and isometric lower extremity strength. Two further sessions were used to establish ankle mechanics and vGRFs during countermovement jump landings in seven foot positions, via a seven-camera motion capture system and piezoelectric force platform. Two linear mixed-effects models were used to investigate associations between the target variables and strength, dorsiflexion ROM, and ankle excursions. Dancer identification, sex, and foot position were entered as random effects. Model fit, when considered independent of random effects, was generally poor with the predictor variables explaining little of the variance of peak plantarflexion ankle joint moments (R2 = 0.02) or vGRF (R2 = 0.01). Model fit improved when random effects were considered (R2 = 0.65 & 0.34). Frontal plane ankle excursion was the only predictor variable with a significant negative association with peak plantarflexion ankle joint moments (p = .016), although coefficient estimates were small. Strength, static ankle dorsiflexion ROM, and three-dimensional ankle excursions are poor predictors of load experienced at a joint and system level in professional ballet dancers. Differences between individuals, sex, and foot position may be better indicators of the load experienced during jump landings.

Jumping Asymmetries and Risk of Injuries in Preprofessional Ballet.

BACKGROUND: Preprofessional ballet dancers are exposed to the risk of injuries, primarily in the lower extremities, with most injuries occurring during jumping and landing activities. Interlimb asymmetry during jumping and landing activities has been associated with the injury risk in adolescent athletes, but this has not been examined in dancers. PURPOSE: To investigate associations between interlimb asymmetry during a double-leg countermovement jump (DL-CMJ) and single-leg jump (SLJ) and the injury risk in adolescent preprofessional ballet dancers. STUDY DESIGN: Cohort study; Level of evidence, 2. METHODS: Adolescent preprofessional ballet dancers (N = 255) performed 3 DL-CMJs and 3 SLJs on force plates during annual screening. Absolute and directional (separate values for left and right limb dominance) asymmetries in a set of kinetic variables during a DL-CMJ and in jump height during an SLJ were calculated. Each variable was characterized as having "high" or "normal" asymmetry according to the percentage of asymmetry (greater than or less than or equal to, respectively, the mean ± 0.5 SD) based on the present sample. Risk ratios (RRs) and 95% CIs were calculated based on the injury incidence in the subsequent academic year. RESULTS: Of the 242 dancers that satisfied the inclusion criteria, 128 injuries were observed in the subsequent academic year. In the whole sample, 3 absolute, 7 left limb-dominant, and 1 right limb-dominant kinetic asymmetry in the eccentric, concentric, and landing phases of the DL-CMJ as well as left limb-dominant jump height asymmetry in the SLJ were associated with a significant (P < .001) increase in the injury risk (RR, 1.28-1.69 [95% CI, 1.02-2.37]). Separating by sex, asymmetries in the eccentric and landing phase of the DL-CMJ were not significant in boys, while in girls, RRs for asymmetries in the eccentric and landing phase of the DL-CMJ increased, and SLJ jump height asymmetry was not significant. CONCLUSION: Higher asymmetries in certain kinetic variables during the DL-CMJ and in jump height during the SLJ were associated with an elevated risk of injuries in elite preprofessional ballet dancers with some sex-specific differences. Associations were mainly identified for high left limb-dominant asymmetry in the takeoff phase, suggesting that the injury risk may be specific to a relative right limb deficit.

Jumping demands during classical ballet class.

Ballet class represents a considerable portion of professional ballet training, yet the external training load demands associated with class-and particularly the jumping demands-have not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to measure the jumping demands of ballet class by sex and rank. Eleven female and eight male elite professional ballet dancers participated in 109 ballet classes taught by 12 different teachers. Jump counts and jump heights were measured during each class. A Poisson generalized linear mixed effects model was used to examine the differences in jump counts between sexes and ranks. Greater jump counts were observed during class in men than in women (153, 95% confidence intervals [CI] [137, 170] vs. 119, 95% CI [109, 131], p = 0.004) and in junior ranking dancers compared with senior ranking dancers (151, 95% CI [138, 165] vs. 121, 95% CI [108, 135], p = 0.006). Female junior and senior ranking dancers jumped at rates of 9.2 ± 2.6 and 8.6 ± 4.7 jumps·min-1 , respectively, while male junior and senior ranking dancers jumped at rates of 9.1 ± 2.6 and 8.7 ± 2.6 jumps·min-1 , respectively. Across all classes, 73% of jumps observed were below 50% of maximum double-legged countermovement jump height. Unlike rehearsals and performances, class offers dancers an opportunity to self-regulate load, and as such, are a useful session to manage jump load, and facilitate gradual return-to-dance pathways. Communication between health care and artistic staff is essential to facilitate load management during class.

Reliability of ankle mechanics during jump landings in turned-out and parallel foot positions in professional ballet dancers.

This study aimed to determine the within- and between-session reliability of ankle mechanics and vertical ground reaction forces (vGRF) during jump landings in turned-out and parallel foot positions in professional ballet dancers. Twenty-four professional ballet dancers (men = 13, women = 11) attended two data collection sessions where they completed five maximal countermovement jumps in each foot position. The ankle joint mechanics and vGRF of the right limb were recorded via a seven-camera motion capture system and one force platform. Within- and between-session intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), coefficients of variation (CV), standard error of measurement, and minimal detectable change were calculated for three-dimensional ankle excursion, peak ankle angle, ankle joint velocity, moment, and power, as well as peak landing vGRF, time to peak landing vGRF, loading rate, and jump height. Across both foot positions, within- (ICC: 0.17-0.96; CV: 1.4-82.3%) and between-session (ICC: 0.02-0.98; CV:1.3-57.1%) reliability ranged from poor to excellent, with ankle excursion, peak ankle angle, and jump height demonstrating the greatest ICC values (ICC: 0.65-0.96; CV: 1.4-57%). Jump landings in a turned-out foot position demonstrated better within-session reliability compared to a parallel position, however, no difference in between-session reliability across the foot positions was observed. Most ankle mechanics provide adequate between-session, but not within-session, reliability during jump landings in professional ballet dancers.

Repetitions in Reserve Is a Reliable Tool for Prescribing Resistance Training Load.

ABSTRACT: Lovegrove, S, Hughes, L, Mansfield, S, Read, P, Price, P, and Patterson, SD. Repetitions in reserve is a reliable tool for prescribing resistance training load. J Strength Cond Res 36(10): 2696-2700, 2022-This study investigated the reliability of repetitions in reserve (RIR) as a method for prescribing resistance training load for the deadlift and bench press exercises. Fifteen novice trained men (age: 17.3 ± 0.9 years, height: 176.0 ± 8.8 cm, body mass: 71.3 ± 10.7 kg) were assessed for 1 repetition maximum (1RM) for deadlift (118.1 ± 27.3 kg) and bench press (58.2 ± 18.6 kg). Subsequently, they completed 3 identical sessions (one familiarization session and 2 testing sessions) comprising sets of 3, 5, and 8 repetitions. For each repetition scheme, the load was progressively increased in successive sets until subjects felt they reached 1-RIR at the end of the set. Test-retest reliability of load prescription between the 2 testing sessions was determined using intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and coefficient of variation (CV). A 2-way analysis of variance with repeated measures was used for each exercise to assess differences in the load corresponding to 1-RIR within each repetition scheme. All test-retest comparisons demonstrated a high level of reliability (deadlift: ICC = 0.95-0.99, CV = 2.7-5.7% and bench press: ICC = 0.97-0.99, CV = 3.8-6.2%). Although there were no differences between time points, there was a difference for load corresponding to 1-RIR across the 3 repetition schemes (deadlift: 88.2, 84.3, and 79.2% 1RM; bench press: 93.0, 87.3, and 79.6% 1RM for the 3-, 5-, and 8-repetition sets, respectively). These results suggest that RIR is a reliable tool for load prescription in a young novice population. Furthermore, the between-repetition scheme differences highlight that practitioners can effectively manipulate load and volume (repetitions in a set) throughout a training program to target specific resistance training adaptations.

The Use of Physical Screening Tools to Identify Injury Risk Within Pre-Professional Ballet Dancers: An Integrative Review / El uso de herramientas de cribado física para identificar el riesgo de lesiones en los bailarines de ballet preprofesionales: Una revisión integradora

Objective. To conduct an integrative review of all relevant research investigating the physical risk factors for injury within pre-professional ballet dancers, to provide insight that may benefit practitioners within these institutions and highlight areas for future research within this specialised population.Design. Studies were identified from the following electronic databases: MEDLINE via PubMed, SPORTDiscus via EBSCOhost, and Web of Science Core Collection via Web of Science. 8,415 titles were identified during the electronic search process. Five studies satisfied the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The mod-ified Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) scale for observational studies was used to assess study quality.Results. The review identified that the following physical characteristics may influ-ence prospective injury risk in pre-professional ballet dancers: age and maturation status, anthropometrics and body composition, strength and power, joint mobility and range of motion, specific dance function, and cardiorespiratory fitness.Limitations. The research identified lacked methodological quality. This, com-bined with the low number of studies identified, makes the design of screening pro-tocols challenging for practitioners.Originality. Despite the number of pre-professional balletic institutions worldwide, previous reviews have not used a systematic search strategy or investigated both sexes in this cohort. Due to the unique demands of ballet, an understanding of the inter-action between injury and physical characteristics is a critical step in order to reduce injury burden. Conclusions. This review succeeded in determining risk factors for injury within this population, but, due to insufficient evidence, could not provide robust screening recommendations

Objetivo. Llevar a cabo una revisión integradora de toda la investigación relevante sobre los factores de riesgo físico de las lesiones en los bailarines de ballet preprofesionales, para proporcionar una visión que pueda beneficiar a los profesionales de estas instituciones y resaltar las áreas para futuras investigaciones en esta población especializada. Diseño. Los estudios se identificaron en las siguientes bases de datos electrónicas: MEDLINE vía PubMed, SPORTDiscus vía EBSCOhost y Web of Science Core Collection vía Web of Science. Se identificaron 8.415 títulos durante el proceso de búsqueda electrónica. Cinco estudios cumplieron los criterios de inclusión y se incluyeron en la revisión. Para evaluar la calidad de los estudios, se utilizó la escala modificada de la Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) para estudios observacionales. Resultados. La revisión identificó que las siguientes características físicas pueden influir en el riesgo prospectivo de lesiones en los bailarines de ballet preprofesionales: edad y estado de maduración, antropometría y composición corporal, fuerza y potencia, movilidad articular y amplitud de movimiento, función específica de la danza y aptitud cardiorrespiratoria. Limitaciones. La investigación identificada carecía de calidad metodológica. Esto, combinado con el bajo número de estudios identificados, hace que el diseño de protocolos de detección sea un reto para los profesionales. Originalidad. Las revisiones anteriores no han utilizado una estrategia de búsqueda sistemática ni han investigado ambos sexos en esta cohorte. Debido a las exigencias únicas del ballet, la comprensión de la interacción entre las lesiones y las características físicas es un paso fundamental para reducir la carga de lesiones. Conclusiones. Esta revisión logró determinar los factores de riesgo de lesiones dentro de esta población, pero, debido a la insuficiencia de evidencia, no pudo proporcionar recomendaciones sólidas de cribado.

Jumping in Ballet: A Systematic Review of Kinetic and Kinematic Parameters.

AIMS: Understanding the biomechanics of jumping in ballet dancers provides an opportunity to optimize performance and mitigate injury risk. This systematic review aimed to summarize research investigating kinetics and kinematics of jumping in ballet dancers. METHODS: PubMed (MEDLINE), SPORTDiscus, and Web of Science were systematically searched for studies published before December 2020. Studies were required to investigate dancers specializing in ballet, assess kinetics or kinematics during take-off or landing, and be published in English. RESULTS: A total of 3,781 articles were identified, of which 29 met the inclusion criteria. Seven studies investigated take-off (kinetics: n = 6; kinematics: n = 4) and 23 studies investigated landing (kinetics: n = 19; kinematics: n = 12). Included articles were categorized into six themes: Activity Type (n = 10), Environment and Equipment (n = 10), Demographics (n = 8), Physical Characteristics (n = 3), Injury Status (n = 2), and Skill Acquisition and Motor Control (n = 1). Peak landing vertical ground reaction force (1.4-9.6 times body weight) was most commonly reported. Limited evidence suggests greater ankle involvement during the take-off of ballet jumps compared to countermovement jumps. There is also limited evidence indicating greater sagittal plane joint excursions upon landing in ballet dancers compared to non-dancers, primarily through a more extended lower extremity at initial contact. Only 4 articles investigated male ballet dancers, which is a notable gap in the literature. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review can be used by dance science and medicine practitioners to improve their understanding of jumping in ballet dancers.

Injury epidemiology in professional ballet: a five-season prospective study of 1596 medical attention injuries and 543 time-loss injuries.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the incidence rate, severity, burden and aetiology of medical attention and time-loss injuries across five consecutive seasons at a professional ballet company. METHODS: Medical attention injuries, time-loss injuries and dance exposure hours of 123 professional ballet dancers (women: n=66, age: 28.0±8.3 years; men: n=57, age: 27.9±8.5 years) were prospectively recorded between the 2015/2016 and 2019/2020 seasons. RESULTS: The incidence rate (per 1000 hours) of medical attention injury was 3.9 (95% CI 3.3 to 4.4) for women and 3.1 (95% CI 2.6 to 3.5) for men. The incidence rate (per 1000 hours) of time-loss injury was 1.2 (95% CI 1.0 to 1.5) for women and 1.1 (95% CI 0.9 to 1.3) for men. First Soloists and Principals experienced between 2.0-2.2 additional medical attention injuries per 1000 hours and 0.9-1.1 additional time-loss injuries per 1000 hours compared with Apprentices (p≤0.025). Further, intraseason differences were observed in medical attention, but not time-loss, injury incidence rates with the highest incidence rates in early (August and September) and late (June) season months. Thirty-five per cent of time-loss injuries resulted in over 28 days of modified dance training. A greater percentage of time-loss injuries were classified as overuse (women: 50%; men: 51%) compared with traumatic (women: 40%; men: 41%). CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report the incidence rate of medical attention and time-loss injuries in professional ballet dancers. Incidence rates differed across company ranks and months, which may inform targeted injury prevention strategies.

Reliability and Minimal Detectable Change Values for Predictions of Knee Forces during Gait and Stair Ascent Derived from the FreeBody Musculoskeletal Model of the Lower Limb.

FreeBody is a musculoskeletal model of the lower limb used to calculate predictions of muscle and joint contact forces. The validation of FreeBody has been described in a number of publications; however, its reliability has yet to be established. The purpose of this study was, therefore, to establish the test-retest reliability of FreeBody in a population of healthy adults in order to add support to previous and future research using FreeBody that demonstrates differences between cohorts after an intervention. We hypothesized that test-retest estimations of knee contact forces from FreeBody would demonstrate a high intra-class correlation. Kinematic and kinetic data from nine older participants (4 men: mean age = 63 ± 11 years; 5 women: mean age = 49 ± 4 years) performing level walking and stair ascent was collected on consecutive days and then analyzed using FreeBody. There was a good level of intra-session agreement between the waveforms for the individual trials of each activity during testing session 1 (R = 0.79-0.97). Similarly, overall there was a good inter-session agreement within subjects (R = 0.69-0.97) although some subjects showed better agreement than others. There was a high level of agreement between the group mean waveforms of the two sessions for all variables (R = 0.882-0.997). The intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) were very high for peak tibiofemoral joint contact forces (TFJ) and hamstring forces during gait, for peak patellofemoral joint contact forces and quadriceps forces during stair ascent and for peak lateral TFJ and the proportion of TFJ accounted for by the medial compartment during both tasks (ICC = 0.86-0.96). Minimal detectable change (MDC) of the peak knee forces during gait ranged between 0.43 and 1.53 × body weight (18-170% of the mean peak values). The smallest MDCs were found for medial TFJ share (4.1 and 5.8% for walking and stair ascent, respectively, or 4.8 and 6.7% of the mean peak values). In conclusion, the results of this study support the use of FreeBody to investigate the effect of interventions on muscle and joint contact forces at the cohort level, but care should be taken if using FreeBody at the subject level.

Effect of a gluteal activation warm-up on explosive exercise performance.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of a gluteal activation warm-up on the performance of an explosive exercise (the high hang pull (HHP)). METHODS: Seventeen professional rugby union players performed one set of three HHPs (with 80% of their one repetition maximum load) following both a control and activation warm-up. Peak electrical activity of the gluteus maximus and medius was quantified using electromyography (EMG). In addition, the kinematics and kinetics of nine players was also recorded using force plate and motion capture technology. These data were analysed using a previously described musculoskeletal model of the right lower limb in order to provide estimates of the muscular force expressed during the movement. RESULTS: The mean peak EMG activity of the gluteus maximus was significantly lower following the activation warm-up as compared with the control (p<0.05, effect size d=0.30). There were no significant differences in the mean peak estimated forces in gluteus maximus and medius, the quadriceps or hamstrings (p=0.053), although there was a trend towards increased force in gluteus maximus and hamstrings following the activation warm-up. There were no differences between the ground reaction forces following the two warm-ups. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that a gluteal activation warm-up may facilitate recruitment of the gluteal musculature by potentiating the glutes in such a way that a smaller neural drive evokes the same or greater force production during movement. This could in turn potentially improve movement quality.

Establishing the fitness for purpose of mass spectrometric methods.

This report is submitted by a working group sponsored by the ASMS Measurements and Standards Committee. The group responded to a 1998 opinion piece dealing with mass spectrometry in trace analysis (Bethem, R. A.; Boyd, R. K. J. Am. Soc. Mass Spectrom. 1998, 9, 643-648) which proposed that the concept of fitness for purpose addresses the needs of a wide range of analytical problems. There is a need to define fitness for purpose within the current context of mass spectrometry and to recommend processes for developing and evaluating methods according to suitability for a particular purpose. The key element in our proposal is for the interested parties to define in advance the acceptable degree of measurement uncertainty and the desired degree of identification confidence. These choices can serve as guideposts during method development and targets for retrospective evaluation of methods. A series of more detailed recommendations are derived from basic principles and also from reviews of current practice. This report highlights some areas where consensus is evident, but also revealed the need for further work in other areas. The recommendations are aimed primarily for the laboratory analyst but we hope they will be accessible to the non-scientist as well. Our goal was to provide a framework that can support informed decisions and foster discussion of the issues, because ultimately it is the responsibility of the analyst to make choices, provide supporting data, and interpret results according to scientific principles and qualified judgment.