Scoliosis and Fractures in Young Ballet Dancers

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Abstract
In a survey of 75 dancers (mean age, 24.3 years) in four professional ballet companies, we found that the prevalence of scoliosis was 24 percent and that it rose with increases in age at menarche. Fifteen of 18 dancers (83 percent) with scoliosis had had a delayed menarche (14 years or older), as compared with 31 of 57 dancers (54 percent) without scoliosis (P<0.04). The dancers with scoliosis had a slightly higher prevalence of secondary amenorrhea (44 percent vs. 31 percent), the mean (±SD) duration of their amenorrhea was longer (11.4±18.3 vs. 4.1±7.4 months; P<0.05), and they scored higher on a questionnaire that assessed anorectic behavior.