Glossary · Fundamentals
Identifying risks before they become injuries
In a dance medicine context, screening refers to a systematic assessment of dancers – typically at the start of a season or training phase – with the aim of identifying individual injury risk factors early on. It is not a diagnostic procedure in the clinical sense, but a preventive instrument for assessing health status, physical prerequisites, and potential load risks.
A dance medicine screening typically captures several dimensions at once: personal injury history, mobility and strength ratios, posture and alignment, and cardiovascular fitness, supplemented by dance-specific tests, for example for hip external rotation (turnout) or ankle mobility. Importantly, screening does not replace medical diagnosis; it provides a snapshot on the basis of which targeted recommendations can be made or further examinations initiated. Its strength lies in making patterns visible – for example when several dancers in a company show similar movement restrictions that may point to structural or training-related causes.
Prevention requires knowing where risks lie. Screening is the instrument that generates this knowledge systematically and comparably – at the level of the individual dancer as well as at the level of an entire company or training class. In professional companies and large training institutions, screening is already standard practice in some countries; in much of the amateur sector and at dance schools, however, it is rarely used – a gap that preventive structural work such as CENIT e.V.'s can help close.
This entry serves to convey knowledge in a prevention context. Screenings should be carried out by professionals experienced in dance medicine. Contact points and qualified specialists can be found through ta.med's referral network or the resources provided by IADMS.
Gamboa JM, Roberts LA, Maring J, Fergus A. Screening Tools as a Predictor of Injury in Dance: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-analysis. Sports Med Open. 2018. doi.org/10.1186/s40798-018-0146-z · Dance/USA Task Force on Dancer Health. Post-Hire Health Screen for Professional Dancers. danceusa.org
