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Knee Problems in the Young Dancer

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Prevention of Injuries in the Young Dancer

Part of the book series: Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine ((PASM))

Abstract

Young dancers are at unique risk for knee injuries as the result of the inherent demands of dance and the biomechanical changes that occur during growth. The majority of knee injuries in young dancers are due to overuse, as opposed to macrotrauma. Since many young dancers have joint hypermobility and disordered eating patterns, these variables play a large role in the injury profile for this population. Bone health, including proper nutrition and vitamin D levels, is another unusually important variable to be considered in the assessment of dance injuries. This chapter deals with many of the knee injuries that young dancers commonly sustain, such as patellofemoral pain syndrome, fat pad syndrome, plica syndrome, Osgood–Schlatter syndrome, and Sinding–Larsen–Johansson syndrome. As with all activity-related injuries, the first task in dealing with these injuries is to make an accurate diagnosis. Next, the pathophysiology needs to be understood, as well as the risk factors involved. Treatment, and finally prevention, completes the medical management for optimal care.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula, 900 Cass St., Suite 200, Monterey, CA, 93940, USA

    Peter G. Gerbino MD

  2. Division of Sports Medicine, Department of Orthopaedics, Boston Children’s Hospital, 300 Longwood Avenue, Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Andrea Stracciolini MD, FAAP, FACSM

  3. Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, 319 Longwood Ave., Boston, MA, 02115, USA

    Marina G. Gearhart BA

Authors
  1. Peter G. Gerbino MD
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  2. Andrea Stracciolini MD, FAAP, FACSM
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  3. Marina G. Gearhart BA
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Peter G. Gerbino MD or Andrea Stracciolini MD, FAAP, FACSM .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Santa Cruz, California, USA

    Ruth Solomon

  2. Santa Cruz, California, USA

    John Solomon

  3. Division of Sports Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

    Lyle J. Micheli

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Gerbino, P.G., Stracciolini, A., Gearhart, M.G. (2017). Knee Problems in the Young Dancer. In: Solomon, R., Solomon, J., Micheli, L. (eds) Prevention of Injuries in the Young Dancer. Contemporary Pediatric and Adolescent Sports Medicine. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55047-3_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-55047-3_8

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-55047-3

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