Lifestyle and injuries of professional ballet dancers: reflections in retirement.

Introduction Only recently has the medical and scientific community recognised that ballet is as physically strenuous and demanding as most sports activities (Clarkson et al, 1985). Generally, children are introduced to ballet before, or soon after, they start school. Those who go on to become professionals learn early in life something of the physical requirements and commitment to a sylphlike figure which, for girls in particular, is essential for success in this activity. Do the constraints adopted and imposed on ballet dancers and the injuries that they experience as part of their professional commitment have consequences for health later in life? No previous studies could be found in the