Dancers' and musicians' injuries.

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedics
• Performing Arts Medicine
• Sports Medicine

Background:

• Professional dancers and musicians face unique physical demands leading to specific injuries.
• Over 30 years of clinical experience informs this overview of performing arts medicine.
• Injuries in performing artists often stem from biomechanical factors and training loads.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide a comprehensive overview of orthopaedic injuries in dancers and musicians.
• To discuss the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment principles for performing artists.
• To highlight common injuries and their underlying causes in dance and music.

Main Methods:

• Review of clinical experience in orthopaedic dance and music medicine.
• Description of injury mechanisms related to biomechanics, posture, and training.
• Case examples of common injuries in dancers (e.g., posterior ankle impingement, hallux rigidus) and musicians (e.g., cervicobrachialgia, entrapment neuropathies).

Main Results:

• Dance injuries are linked to hip external rotation deficits, hypermobility, and core instability.
• Musician injuries often arise from altered musical load, poor playing posture, and hypermobility.
• Common dance injuries include posterior ankle impingement and hallux rigidus; musician injuries include cervicobrachialgia and nerve entrapment.

Conclusions:

• Treatment requires respecting the artist's passion, utilizing mental practice, and early, specialized assessment.
• Understanding biomechanics, posture, and practice habits is crucial for injury prevention and management.
• Hypermobility presents both advantages and risks for performing artists, necessitating careful management.