Anterior cruciate ligament injury in professional dancers

Abstract

Background Anterior cruciate ligament injury (ACL) is a common sport injury; however, there are no data concerning dance and ACL injury. We report the incidence, injury mechanism, and clinical follow‐up of ACL injury in professional dancers. Patients and methods In a retrospective cohort study involving the three major dance companies in the Netherlands, by interviewing all 253 dancers who had had a full‐time contract during 1991–2002, dancers with symptomatic ACL injury or past ACL reconstruction were identified and examined. Results 6 dancers (2 of whom were women) had had a symptomatic ACL rupture and reconstruction. Interestingly, all had been on the left side and had had a similar trauma mechanism: while dancing a classical variation they landed, after a jump, on their left leg, in the turned out position with a valgus force on their knee. There was a higher risk of ACL injury in the classical company than in the two contemporary companies. The risk of dancers having a rupture of the left ACL during a 10‐year career in this classical company was 7%. Interpretation ACL injuries are not an infrequently seen type of injury in professional classical dancers, with a very specific mechanism of injury—a landing on the left leg in exorotation. More attention and prophylactic measures should be given to this specific injury mechanism.