Dance-specific Aerobic Fitness Test (DAFT) Heart Rate Variables are not Associated with Lower-Extremity Injuries in Contemporary Dance Students.

Introduction: The purpose of the study was to examine if dance-specific aerobic fitness test (DAFT) heart rate variables were associated to lower-extremity injuries in contemporary dance students.

Methods: A total of 235 first-year contemporary dance students (18.6 ± 1.2 years) were prospectively followed over the first 4 months of their academic year. Peak heart rate (HR) in the final stage of the DAFT and heart rate recovery (HRR) 1 minute after DAFT completion were measured. Lower-extremity injuries were registered using a self-reported monthly questionnaire including the Oslo Sports Trauma Research Centre Questionnaire on Health Problems (OSTRC-H). Three injury definitions were used (all-complaint injury, substantial injury, and time-loss injury). Associations between DAFT HR, HRR and lower-extremity injury prevalence and severity were examined with regression analyses.

Results: Lower-extremity injury prevalence was 36.2% (n = 85), 13.6% (n = 32), and 22.6% (n = 53) for all-complaint, substantial and time-loss injuries, respectively. There were no significant associations between HR or HRR and injury prevalence using either of the 3 injury definitions. There were no significant associations between DAFT HR or HRR and injury severity (days off due to injury or OSTRC-H severity score). Multivariate analyses showed significant associations between age and substantial injuries (OR 1.807; 95% CI 1.242-2.630;  < .01) and between age and time-loss injuries (OR 1.441; 95% CI 1.074-1.933;  < .05).

Conclusion: Aerobic fitness measured with the DAFT was not associated with lower-extremity injury risk or injury severity. Higher age was associated with substantial and time-loss lower-extremity injuries.