Musculoskeletal and Sociodemographic Gender Differences between Vocational Ballet Students

Abstract

Introduction: Studies of vocational ballet students are sparce. In particular, there is a lack of gender comparisons. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to give a musculoskeletal and sociodemographic description of the typical vocational ballet student in gender comparison. Methods: In this study, n = 414 female and n = 192 male students of the John Cranko School (JCS), aged between 5 and 22 years (Mean ± SD: 13.9 ± 3.5), were examined by an experienced orthopedist and dance physician. Results: Males started ballet (5.8/8.2 years, p < 0.001) and training at later age than females (13.5/14.6 years, p < 0.05). There was a high prevalence of low body weight among both sexes; however, particularly among female participants (58.4/16.2%, p < 0.001). Both sexes showed a large external rotation of the hip (f/m: 59/62°, p < 0.001), a large turnout (f/m: 82/86°, p < 0.01), high values for plantarflexion of the ankle joint (f/m: 72/68°, p < 0.001) and dorsiflexion of the metatarsophalangeal joint of the big toe (f/m: 90/87°, p < 0.001). Discussion: Differences in ballet-specific characteristics between genders (f/m) are converging and are smaller than described in the past. The particularly high prevalence of low body weight among students in the vocational training sector, particularly among females, highlights the need for deeper diagnostic investigation.