Location
Hopwood Auditorium
Access Type
Campus Access Only
Presentation Type
Oral presentation
Entry Number
203
Start Date
4-16-2026 9:00 AM
End Date
4-16-2026 9:15 AM
School
School of Medicine and Health Sciences
Department
Physical Therapy
Keywords
LESS, landing biomechanics, lower-extremity injury risk, neuromuscular control, dancers vs non-dancers, injury prevention
Abstract
Dance is physically demanding and requires strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. Repetitive movements such as jumps and landings can place significant stress on the lower extremities. Because of these demands, dancers may be more likely to develop overuse injuries involving the feet, ankles, knees, and hips. While injury patterns in professional dancers have been studied, little research has examined collegiate dancers and how their movement mechanics compare with those of non-dancers of the same age. Understanding these differences may help identify movement patterns that contribute to injury risk in collegiate dancers.
This study compares injury proneness between college dancers and non-dancers using the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), a screening device for evaluating jump-landing mechanics. Twenty students from the University of Lynchburg between the ages of 18 and 22 will participate in this study. The sample will include ten members of the university dance team and ten physically active students with no formal dance experience. Participants will complete a short questionnaire about their activity level and injury history. They will then perform three jump-landing trials from a 30 cm box onto a target set at half their height. The movements will be recorded from the frontal and sagittal planes and later analyzed using the LESS to identify potential landing errors associated with injury risk. Descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t-test will be used to compare LESS scores between dancers and non-dancers to determine whether significant differences exist.
This study examines whether collegiate dancers demonstrate movement patterns that may increase injury risk. The results may help improve understanding of the biomechanical demands placed on dancers and support the development of injury-prevention strategies within university dance programs.
Primary Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Jason Grandeo
Primary Faculty Mentor(s) Department
PT, DPT, DScPT, OCS, FAAOMPT
Additional Faculty Mentor(s)
Dr. Allison Jablonski Professor Leah Stevens
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Assessing Injury Risk in Dancers Versus Non-dancers Through the Landing Error Scoring System
Hopwood Auditorium
Dance is physically demanding and requires strength, flexibility, balance, and coordination. Repetitive movements such as jumps and landings can place significant stress on the lower extremities. Because of these demands, dancers may be more likely to develop overuse injuries involving the feet, ankles, knees, and hips. While injury patterns in professional dancers have been studied, little research has examined collegiate dancers and how their movement mechanics compare with those of non-dancers of the same age. Understanding these differences may help identify movement patterns that contribute to injury risk in collegiate dancers.
This study compares injury proneness between college dancers and non-dancers using the Landing Error Scoring System (LESS), a screening device for evaluating jump-landing mechanics. Twenty students from the University of Lynchburg between the ages of 18 and 22 will participate in this study. The sample will include ten members of the university dance team and ten physically active students with no formal dance experience. Participants will complete a short questionnaire about their activity level and injury history. They will then perform three jump-landing trials from a 30 cm box onto a target set at half their height. The movements will be recorded from the frontal and sagittal planes and later analyzed using the LESS to identify potential landing errors associated with injury risk. Descriptive statistics and an independent-samples t-test will be used to compare LESS scores between dancers and non-dancers to determine whether significant differences exist.
This study examines whether collegiate dancers demonstrate movement patterns that may increase injury risk. The results may help improve understanding of the biomechanical demands placed on dancers and support the development of injury-prevention strategies within university dance programs.