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