Nutritional profile and prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries in young contemporary dancers
Abstract
Introduction: Contemporary dancers demand physical needs specific to the modality, among which the particularities relating to musculoskeletal overload, nutritional and behavioral dysfunctions stand out. Objective: To evaluate the nutritional profile of contemporary adolescent dancers and the prevalence of musculoskeletal injuries. Materials and methods : The study implemented a cross-sectional survey with a quantitative approach. A sample of 68 dancers were evaluated using questionnaires (sociodemographic and health profile); of the variables weight, height, waist circumference and fat percentage. Furthermore, the Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to assess the prevalence of injuries. Results: The nutritional situation of the dancers regarding body composition and BMI/age was adequate in 80.9% and 63.2% of the participants, respectively. Additionally, among the musculoskeletal injuries reported by contemporary dancers, the knees (18.9%) and the lumbar region (17.7%) stand out, and among the injuries that limit daily activities, dancers highlighted the knee region (22 .5%), ankles and/or feet (20.4%), as the most affected. Furthermore, anthropometric parameters were insignificant for the prevalence of limiting injuries among contemporary dancers (p=0.28) and (p=0.54), as well as dance hours (p=0.55) and practice of extra physical activity (p=0.21). Conclusion: A large portion of contemporary dancers are in compliance with anthropometric parameters, which did not show a significant difference when associated with general and disabling injuries.
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