Physiotherapy & Irish Dance: Our thoughts on injury prevention

Our physiotherapist, Leanne Pleng, was recently at the Association for Foot and Ankle Physiotherapists Conference on dance in London. One of the speakers was Dr Roisin Cahalan from the University of Limerick, who discussed the considerations we need to take into account when working with Irish dancers. She spoke on this interesting dance specialty with enthusiasm. She told a tale of the change in the profession as a whole since professionalization in the 1990s, and of troupes such as Riverdance making it extremely popular both to watch and to participate in. Compared to other dances, Irish dance has not been a professional discipline for very long. Ballet has a much longer history, which brings with it challenges, including a lack of available research in the field.

Roisin is part of a team investigating injury rates and biomechanics in the dance profession. They plan to provide new data on the unique features of the dance and how medical professionals, such as physiotherapists, and dancers themselves can influence their dancing and reduce their risk of injury by understanding the problems that may occur. Preparation and injury prevention are of paramount importance to a growing profession and the health of its dancers. This group of researchers has been able to gather information from the large population of professional Irish dancers. This is one of the first times it has been successfully done, and it is enabling the collection of some interesting data.

What Types and Causes of Injuries Can Happen to Irish Dancers?

The large majority of injuries sustained are to the foot and ankle. The dancers' leading perceived causes of these injuries were overuse/fatigue, accidents, previous injury, poor stretching/warm-up, and biomechanical factors. The injured dancers also reported higher levels of insufficient sleep, greater anger-hostility levels, and more subjective health complaints. These could all be triggers that can and should be monitored and addressed in this dance population alongside their presenting complaint. This could potentially ensure a better and more complete recovery.

The types of injuries commonly seen in Irish dancers were interestingly similar to those seen in other dance specialities, such as ballet. Problems with the prominent toe tendons (flexor hallucis longus), outer shin tendons (peroneals), and hip muscles (hip flexors) were common. Problems with overload and irritation of the toe joints (metatarsalgia) and ankle sprains were also among the most frequently reported injuries.

Why Is It Important to Be Aware of the Types and Causes of Injury?

Knowing which injuries are more common in that dance population and the contributing factors that may indicate a higher risk of developing these injuries will allow therapists and medical professionals treating them to focus their treatment and prevention plans appropriately. This will have the knock-on effect of reducing injury rates and improving recovery rates. Support for dancers is essential for enabling the longest and most satisfying careers in a profession where the body is put under incredible demands.

Written by

Leanne Plenge

Chartered Physiotherapist