Comparison of physical fitness and fatigue levels of professional dancers with and without a history of injury

The aim of our study is to compare the physical fitness parameters and fatigue levels of professional dancers with and without a history of injury. In our study, 58 professional latin dancers between the ages of 18-45 who were interested in Latin dances were divided into two equal groups according to their injury history. Demographic characteristics such as age, height, body weight, education level, employment status, smoking consumption, professional dancing times, training times, and injury histories in the last 12 months were recorded by questioning. In order to determine the physical fitness levels of professional dancers, body mass index, incremental shuttle walk test, endurance shuttle walk test, muscle strength measurement with isokinetic dynamometer, back scratching test, sit and reach test, static and dynamic balance test, T-test, vertical jump test were performed in the presence of a physiotherapist. Fatigue levels were evaluated with the Fatigue Severity Scale. As a result of the study, it was seen that professional dancers mostly suffered injuries in the muscle (51.7%) and joint (34.5%) regions, and 69% of them stayed away from dance for 1-3 days due to injury. It was found that cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, flexibility, balance, agility and power levels of professional dancers with a history of injury were lower than those without a history of injury, and their fatigue levels were higher (p<0.05). As a result, we think that low physical fitness level may be a risk factor for injuries and it may be important to create the training of dancers specifically for these parameters in order to prevent possible injuries. In this regard, there is a need for studies to be carried out with more dancers in different dance groups in the future. Keywords: Latin Dance, Physical Fitness, Fatigue, Balance, Injury