Acta Gymnica 2014 44(2): 85-91 | DOI: 10.5507/ag.2014.009

Kinematic analysis of the gait in professional ballet dancers

Lucie Teplá, Markéta Procházková, Zdeněk Svoboda, Miroslav Janura

Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University, Olomouc, Czech Republic

Background: A ballet dance routine places extreme functional demands on the musculoskeletal system and affects the motor behaviour of the dancers. An extreme ballet position places high stress on many segments of the dancer's body and can significantly influence the mobility of the lower limb joints.

Objective: The aim of this study was to observe the differences in the gait pattern between ballet dancers and non-dancers.

Methods: Thirteen professional ballet dancers (5 males, 8 females; age 24.1 ± 3.8 years; height 170.2 ± 8.5 cm; weight 58.3 ± 11.2 kg) participated in this research. We compared these subjects with twelve controls (3 males, 9 females; mean age 24.3 ± 2.75 years; height 173.3 ± 6.01 cm; weight 72.2 ± 12.73 kg). None of the participants had any history of serious musculoskeletal pathology or injury or surgery to the lower limbs. Control groups had no ballet experience. Each participant performed five trials of the gait at self-selected walking speed. Kinematic data was obtained using the Vicon MX optoelectronic system. The observed data was processed in the Vicon Nexus and Vicon Polygon programmes and statistically evaluated in Statistica. Non-parametric test (Mann-Whitney U test, p < .05) was applied for comparing the dancers and the controls.

Results:   Significant differences (p < .05) were found in all lower limb joints. In the dancers, greater hip extension (-15.30 ± 3.31° vs. -12.95 ± 6.04°; p = .008) and hip abduction (-9.18 ± 5.89° vs. -6.08 ± 2.52°; p < .001) peaks together with increased pelvic tilt (3.33 ± 1.26° vs. 3.01 ± 1.46°; p = .020), pelvic obliquity (12.46 ± 3.05° vs. 10.34 ± 3.49°; p < .001) and pelvic rotation (14.29 ± 3.77° vs. 13.26 ± 4.91°; p = .029) were observed. Additionally, the dancers demonstrated greater knee flexion (65.67 ± 4.65° vs. 62.45 ± 5.24°; p = .002) and knee extension (3.80 ± 4.02° vs. -1.54 ± 5.65°; p < .001) peaks during the swing phase when compared to the controls. Decreased maximal ankle plantar flexion was observed during the loading response (-8.84 ± 3.74° vs. -10.50 ± 3.99°) and increased maximal ankle plantar flexion in terminal stance (-20.30 ± 4.93° vs. -17.00 ± 3.99°; p = .025) was observed for the dancers.

Conclusions: The results confirm that long-term intensive ballet training affects the kinematic pattern of particular joints during gait performance. The findings suggest overloading in the lumbosacral region and dysfunction or weakness of several muscles in ballet dancers.

Keywords: ballet dancers, gait cycle, kinematics, angular range of motion, walking

Prepublished online: June 30, 2014; Published: June 1, 2014  Show citation