Publications

Netter’s Sports Medicine is a reference designed to help doctors meet the challenges presented by their patients this growing interdisciplinary field of Sports Medicine.

Covering the full spectrum of treatment guidance for dance artists, circus artists, musicians, and more, this practical title by Dr. Lauren E. Elson expertly explores the intersection of sports medicine and performing arts medicine. Ideal for practicing and trainee physiatrists, physical and occupational therapists, and sports medicine physicians, it addresses a wide range of relevant topics including auditory symptoms in musicians; management of the dancer’s foot and ankle, hip, and spine; return-to-dance or return-to-performance guidelines; and much more.

The ankle is the most commonly injured joint among athletes. Because the treatment course of an ankle injury changes based on whether a fracture has occurred or not, radiographs are often obtained.

Pointe shoes, which elongate a dancer’s legs and accentuate the beauty of classical ballet technique, come with their own set of biomechanical principles—and their own set of risk factors for lower extremity injury.

Ballet is one of the most popular youth activities in the United States. Many ballet students eventually train to dance “en pointe,” the French words for “on pointe,” or “on the tips of their toes.” No research exists to define criteria for determining when a young dancer can transition from dancing in ballet slippers to dancing in pointe shoes. However, dancers can be evaluated for this progression based on a number of factors, including adequate foot and ankle plantarflexion, technique, training, proprioception, alignment, and strength.

The goal of this article is to help foster better communication between dancers and the medical community by describing dance epidemiology, dance basics including technique and characteristics, and some specific dance injuries.

Football is reported to have one of the highest rates of injury among sports. Thus, it is becoming more commonplace for a physician to be present at the sideline to help manage injuries acutely. The team physician should be well equipped to provide game coverage by having the necessary equipment and knowledge of the injuries common in football. The physician should have an understanding of how to evaluate injuries at the sideline and when to send the player to the emergency room for further evaluation.