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The knee joint is crucial for everyone, but it’s especially crucial for dancers in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and other genres. Why, therefore, is it also one of the main reasons why dancers, whether professional or not, sustain injuries? Dancers exercise their bodies to a higher degree of athleticism. To perform the necessary movement, they must possess comparable strength and flexibility. Dancers get knee pain as a result of repeatedly using their knee joints. The repetitive movements that dancers must do can result in a variety of injuries to the knee joint.
Anterior knee discomfort, which frequently occurs around the patella, is referred to as patellofemoral pain which is abbreviated as PFP (Mariathas et al., 2023). Patellofemoral pain syndrome is brought on by excessive use of the knee joint and may also result from an aberrant softening of the cartilage on the opposite side of the patella (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2023). It’s one of the most common injuries to dancers. Dancers and athletes frequently complain about the symptoms of knee pain which are most associated with PFP. This will have an impact on their knees regardless of if they have structural damage to the knee joint itself. Although the patella is directly linked to dancers’ pain, the soft tissues and muscles surrounding the knee are contributing to the pain the dancer is experiencing. One of the possible reasons for patellofemoral discomfort is muscular weakness or imbalance (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2023). It occurs when the kneecap is not kept in line by the muscles around the hip and knee. The inability of those muscles to stabilize your knee causes it to move about when you move. This will cause pain over time and have the atomic structure be wrong (Skwiot et al., 2021). This is something I have personally experienced because I have Genu varum. It indicates bow-legged. It’s a condition where your alignment is off, causing your legs to appear x-shaped rather than straight. As a result, the lack of strength on the inside side of the patella can cause a lot of pain for a dancer like me.
Dancers also frequently suffer from patellar tendinopathy. Tendinopathy is a tendon condition that will cause pain and swelling. Your tendons that are found in your body but particularly found in your kneecap, move your bones when your muscles contract. Repetitive motions such as jumping or high-impact repetitive motions can cause patellar tendonitis. Over time, this will cause your knee’s patellar tendon to deteriorate. The pain that results from this will get gradual over time (Cleveland Clinic, 2024). Dancers may have knee pain from this action alone, but if they overuse the tendon that runs through their patella, they may develop patellar tendinopathy (Dr. Glenn Paul Uy, 2016). This will cause the dancer to experience recurrent discomfort when attempting to perform the movement. This pain will initially be caused by overuse but will eventually become chronic. Tendinopathy will result from weak muscles surrounding the patella creating health problems in dancers (Roland, 2024). In the realm of dance, this condition can have a significant impact on dancers. When prompted to leap, this could result in chromic discomfort during dancing, making the movement uncomfortable.
The hamstring, quadriceps, sartorius, gracile, and popliteus muscles are crucial for the knee joint and are frequently the source of issues for dancers. To complete the task at hand, they overwork their muscles which results in tiredness, improper technique, high-impact movement, and other issues. Dancers may be able to avoid knee injuries such as patellar tendinopathy and anterior knee if they can strengthen the muscles surrounding the knee joint. So, the importance of the knee joint is crucial in dancers. Therefore, overusing the knee joint will cause injuries for dancers, whether they are professional or not.
Sources
- Mariathas, M., Hughes, E., Wolman, R., & Purohit, N. (2023). Knee pain in elite dancers: A Review of Imaging Findings : Journal of Arthroscopy and joint surgery. Knee Pain in Elite Dancers: A Review of Imaging Findings. https://journals.lww.com/jajs/fulltext/2023/04000/knee_pain_in_elite_dancers__a_review_of_imaging.6.aspx
- Skwiot, M., Śliwiński, Z., Żurawski, A., & Śliwiński, G. (2021, June 24). Effectiveness of physiotherapy interventions for injury in ballet dancers: A systematic review. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8224967/#sec032
- Paul Uy, Dr. Glenn (2016, December 6). 7 most common causes of knee pain for dancers. 7 Most Common Causes Of Knee Pain For Dancers. https://www.dancecompreview.com/7-most-common-causes-of-knee-pain-for-dancers/
- Mayo Clinic. (2023, March 4). Patellofemoral pain syndrome. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/patellofemoral-pain-syndrome/symptoms-causes/syc-20350792
- Cleveland Clinic. (2024, August 5). Tendinopathy: Symptoms, causes & treatment. Tendinopathy. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/22289-tendinopathy
- Roland, J. (2024, January 24). Understanding Tendinopathy. Healthline: Understanding Tendinopathy. https://www.healthline.com/health/tendinopathy
The knee joint plays a critical role in dance, as it supports the strength, flexibility, and complex motions required in ballet, jazz, hip-hop, modern, and other dance genres. However, anatomically, it is the most common musculoskeletal injury among dancers due to the intense physical demands placed on this joint. Among the most common conditions is patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFP), characterized by anterior knee pain around the patella, often connected to overuse or muscular imbalances. Weakness or misalignment of the surrounding muscles, such as the quadriceps and hip stabilizers, can prevent proper kneecap stabilization, leading to discomfort and structural misalignment over time.
Another frequent injury is patellar tendinopathy. It can present as tendinitis, inflammation of the tendon, or tendinosis, a degenerative condition of the patellar tendon caused by repetitive high-impact and repetitive movements. This condition typically develops gradually, starting out as an initial discomfort and potentially progressing to chronic pain, significantly affecting dancers’ performance and ability to execute movements as designed, which can further exacerbate the issue. A contributing factor to the conditions is weakness in the hamstrings, quadriceps, sartorius, and popliteus, increasing joint fatigue onset, improper technique, and further strain on the knee joint. Therefore, preventative strategies, such as deliberate strength and conditioning of the muscles surrounding the knee, can help dancers mitigate the risk of developing PFP and patellar tendinopathy.