Preventing Dance Injuries | Solomon & Minton

Preventing Dance Injuries by Ruth Solomon, John Solomon, and Sandra Cerny Minton is a comprehensive guide to understanding, preventing, and managing injuries related to dance training and performance.

This Second Edition combines dance medicine, anatomy, biomechanics, and practical training principles. It examines physical screening, common injuries of the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and spine, as well as stress fractures and rehabilitation. The book also explores efficient warm-up, turnout, flexibility, strength training, and biomechanical factors that can contribute to overuse injuries.

Additional chapters address psychological concerns relevant to dancers, including performance stress, eating disorders, and the female athlete triad, making this a valuable reference for dancers, teachers, coaches, and dance-health professionals.

Contents

Part I – Screening for Common Dance Injuries

1. Determinants of Injuries in Young Dancers
2. Physical Screening Procedures
3. A Somatic Screening Procedure Using Bartenieff Fundamentals

Part II – Diagnosing, Treating, and Rehabilitating Dance Injuries

4. Common Foot and Ankle Injuries in Dancers
5. Knee Problems in Dancers
6. Iliopsoas Tendinitis in Dancers
7. Spinal Problems in Dancers
8. Stress Fractures in Dancers

Part III – Preventing Dance Injuries Through Biomechanically Efficient Training

9. An Efficient Warm-Up Based on Anatomical Principles
10. A Biomechanical Approach to Aerobic Dance Injuries
11. Biomechanical Considerations in Turnout
12. The Neuroanatomical and Biomechanical Basis of Flexibility Exercises in Dance
13. Strengthening and Stretching the Muscles of the Ankle and Tarsus
14. Pronation As a Predisposing Factor in Overuse Injuries

Part IV – Psychological Concerns

15. Stress, Performance, and Dance Injuries
16. The Role of Dance Teachers in the Prevention of Eating Disorders
17. The Female Athlete Triad in Dancers

Reference Sections

• Dance Glossary
• Medical Glossary
• Index