Functional Impact and Pain Assessment in Injured Pre-Professional Dancers: A Prospective Cohort Study

Musculoskeletal injuries are common among adolescent pre-professional dancers, who face increasing technical demands during periods of rapid growth. Understanding how these injuries affect function, differ across training levels and vary by dance modality is essential for improving health and performance in elite training environments. The purposes of this study were to characterize the functional impact and clinical profile of dance-related musculoskeletal injuries in pre-professional adolescent dancers using the Self-Estimated Functional Inability because of Pain (SEFIP) questionnaire, examine the association between SEFIP and pain intensity measured with the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS), and explore differences according to sex, age, training level and dance modality.

This prospective observational study was conducted over four academic semesters in an elite pre-professional dance school. Pre-professional dance students aged 9 to 19 years presenting with dance-related injuries were consecutively recruited from the school's clinical department. Data collected included demographics, injury mechanism and onset. Functional impact was measured using the SEFIP questionnaire, and pain intensity using the NPRS. Statistical analyses included t-tests, Chi-square tests, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis tests and Spearman correlations.

A total of 437 injury episodes were recorded. Most injuries were overuse-related (59.0%) and insidious in onset (62.6%). SEFIP scores (median = 2 (IQR 1-3)) showed no sex differences, but correlated strongly with the NPRS (r = .71). Lower limbs and the lumbar spine were most frequently affected. Ballet accounted for the highest number of injuries overall, consistent with its greater representation in the training curriculum.

Overuse injuries predominate in adolescent dancers and are shaped by training load, growth-related vulnerability and stylistic demands. These findings support the need for age-specific monitoring, functional screening and improved load management. These findings suggest that the SEFIP score may represent a useful and context-appropriate tool for assessing functional impact of injuries in pre-professional dance populations.