Características musculoesqueléticas dos pés e pronação excessiva em bailarinas amadoras

Abstract

Classical ballet dancers face rigorous demands that result in a high rate of injuries, most of which are chronic. The feet and ankles are most frequently affected, commonly related to the load on the first metatarsophalangeal joint and medial pressure during abduction, movements, and positions in ballet. Furthermore, restrictions on dorsiflexion contribute to excessive pronation, increasing the risk of injury. Therefore, studying musculoskeletal factors related to excessive pronation is crucial to preventing injuries, minimizing costs, and dancer absences for schools and dance companies. The primary objective of this study was to correlate forefoot- shank alignment, navicular mobility, and dorsiflexion range of motion with the rearfoot's range of motion in the frontal plane and the medial longitudinal arch of the foot during the plié in fourth position. The secondary objective was to determine whether anthropometric characteristics and ballet performance correlated with forefoot-shank alignment, navicular mobility, and dorsiflexion range of motion, along with the frontal plane range of motion of the rearfoot and the medial longitudinal arch of the foot during the plié in fourth position. A cross- sectional observational study was conducted in which 20 dancers, totaling 40 feet, aged between 14 and 30 years, who had been practicing ballet for at least two years and had no recent injuries or lower limb surgeries, were analyzed. The procedures involved an initial questionnaire and clinical tests to assess dorsiflexion range, forefoot-shank alignment, and navicular mobility, performed bilaterally. These clinical tests showed adequate intra-rater reliability in a pilot study. The performance of the plié in fourth position was recorded for movement analysis. Correlation between the investigated variables was performed using Spearman's correlation. Dorsiflexion correlated negatively with height and body mass, and navicular drop correlated negatively with age and height. Forefoot-shank alignment and medial longitudinal arch mobility during plié positively correlated with weekly practice frequency. Therefore, foot and ankle alignment and mobility were associated with anthropometric factors and ballet frequency, but not with plié movement