Contributions of muscle fatigue to a neuromuscular neck injury in female ballroom dancers.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the etiology of a loss-of-control neck injury in international modern (IM) dancesport dancers. A comparison to identify if dancers with neck injury have a greater decrease in median frequency in electromyography (EMG) than non-injured dancers. SUBJECTS: Twenty female subjects (mean age 21.6 ± 3.0 yrs, height 167.1 ± 4.3 cm, weight 59.1 ± 5.2 kg, mean BMI 21.1 ± 1.2) with minimum 1-year experience in competitive IM dancesport. measurements: EMG activity from the left upper trapezius, left splenius capitius, and right sternocleidomastoid muscles before and after dancing the five IM dances. Extension, lateral flexion, and neck length were also measured. RESULTS: There was no significant difference in all measurements. CONCLUSIONS: Although we did not find the etiology of this neck injury, this was the first research into this injury. Future research could study the different IM dances, compare different competition levels, or the amount of force placed on the neck when dancing.