Effects Of Sport Specialization On Participation, Training, And Injury In Young Female Dancers

Sport specialization is defined as intentional and focused participation in a single sport for most of the year that restricts opportunities for engagement in other sports and activities. Evidence related to general participation, daily training, and, musculoskeletal injury in young female athletes is scarce. PURPOSE: The aim of our study was to examine the effect of sport specialization on general participation capacity, daily training efficacy, and musculoskeletal injury type in a cohort of young female dancers. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Female dancers from 8 to 17 years answered sport specialization questions, 1) Do you solely perform dance?, 2) Did you quit other sports to focus on dance?, and 3) Do you participate in dance more than 8 months per year? Dancers who responded “yes” to all 3 questions were classified as specialized, while dancers who answered “no” to any of the 3 questions were classified as non-specialized. Dance related general participation capacity (unlimited vs. limited in general dance participation), daily training efficacy (high and low in daily dance training), and musculoskeletal injury type (past and current acute vs. overuse pathologies sustained) were also asked. Descriptive statistics and chi-square analysis (x2) were used (p < 0.05). RESULTS: Of 140 eligible participants, 85 completed questionnaires with a response rate of 60.7%. The final cohort who fully completed all questions consisted of 56 female dancers with a mean age of13.0 ± 2.4 years. About 78.6% (N = 44) of the dancers were classified as specialized, while 21.4% (N = 12) were classified as non-specialized. Specialized dancers reported more general participation capacity limitations compared to non-specialized dancers (p = 0.025). Also, specialized dancers reported lower training efficacy compared to non-specialized dancers (p = 0.036). Specialized dancers reported more overuse injuries versus acute injuries compared to the non-specialized dancers (p = 0.039). CONCLUSIONS: Sport specialization status of young female dancers in this cohort showed substantial impact on general performance capacity, daily training efficacy, and musculoskeletal injury patterns. This study may advance the research for sport specialization and enhance well-beings of young female dancers.