Healthcare Considerations for Elite Dancers; Sport and Exercise Physicians' Perspectives

Introduction: Previous research on dancers' perceptions of healthcare providers and access to healthcare has found lower utilization of physicians for dance-related injuries, with the perception that dancers do not have the same access to specialized healthcare as athletes. This study is the first to examine sports and exercise medicine physicians' perspectives on similarities and differences in clinical care between dancers and athletes, specifically at the elite level. Methods: An international panel of 14 sports and exercise medicine physicians with dance medicine expertise was recruited. A four-round, ranking-type Delphi study explored consensus on perceived clinical similarities and differences between elite dancers and athletes. Results: 28 perceived similarities and 32 differences were grouped into six categories: physicality, health and wellness, injury, socioeconomic factors, training approaches, and personality traits. 20 perceived similarities and 12 perceived differences reached consensus status. Consensual perceived similarities were highest (n = 5) within the personality traits category, including traits such as highly motivated, highly determined, highly driven, perfectionistic, and highly committed. The highest number of consensual perceived differences was found in the physicality category (n = 4), including greater ranges of motion and the importance of aesthetic and choreographic demands in elite dance. Within the socioeconomic category, the panel concurred that elite dancers experience greater financial instability and less access to healthcare providers. Conclusion: The panel of sport and exercise physicians agreed there are more perceived similarities than differences between elite dancers and athletes, especially in personality traits. The unique aesthetic focus in dance distinguishes it from conventional sports and may contribute to a dance-specific injury profile. This study's findings may help healthcare providers unfamiliar with dance medicine improve clinical care and healthcare accessibility when seeing elite dancers.