Dancing Through Burnout

Burnout or overtraining can be characterized by:

• Long-standing fatigue
• Reduced performance without a specific cause
• Behavioral/emotional changes (Koutedakis 2000)

Risks for burnout and injury:

• Inadequate rest: Muscle requires 12-24 hours of rest following intense levels of physical activity in order to heal and repair damaged tissue prior to additional workouts (Koutedakis 2000).
• Fatigue: Dancing > 5 hours per day can lead to fatigue and increases risk for injury (Koutedakis 2000).  
• High frequency of classes: Dancing >20 hours per week can increase likelihood of burnout.
• Poor diet: Most dancers consume less than 70-80% of their recommended caloric intake. Inadequate intake can contribute to deterioration of lean body mass, which can negatively impact physical performance.
• Lack of cross-training: Diversifying physical activity helps prevent muscle imbalances and can improve endurance and strength without redundancy.
• Reduced endurance: Aerobic capacity levels are lower in dancers compared to other athletes.
• Decreased strength: Dancers have less lean muscle mass and strength compared to other athletes. In addition, they load their muscles suboptimally, which can result in further strength decreases (Koutedakis 2004).

Signs/symptoms of burnout:

• Frequent injuries
• Constant fatigue
• Frequent respiratory tract infections
• Behavioral/emotional changes such as reduced appetite, loss of excitement for dance, irritability, anxiety, and depression  
• Weight loss
• Alteration in sleep patterns
• Changes in technique
• Inability to recover sufficiently after training
• Menstrual changes
• Weakening of the bone
• Increased resting heart rate and blood pressure
• Reduced heart rate recovery after normal levels of dancing

• Decreased ability for the body to utilize oxygen during maximal exercise
• Reduced muscle strength
• Increased time to heal
• Increased susceptibility to infection (Koutedakis 2000)​

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Solutions and setting realistic expectations:
1) Allow for full rest days in between heavy training days. This will provide adequate time for tissue healing and recovery and prevent further tissue damage. 
2) Set mandatory rest periods after performance seasons and summer intensives. It is recommended that a dancer takes a rest period of 3-5 weeks off from dance. Research shows that rest periods  improve/maintain strength, flexibility, and aerobic capacity. Cross training can be performed during rest periods (Koutedakis 2004). 
3) Get adequate sleep. Dancers may need up to 9 to 10 hours of sleep per night during intense training periods. Set an early bedtime for yourself and try to avoid screen time distractions before bed.
4) Eat a balanced diet. It is important to have adequate nutrition to boost your immune system and optimize your performance. 
5) Don’t work through fatigue, illness, or injury.
6) When returning to dance, slowly ramp up activity load. Consider starting with a modified dance schedule when returning from rest periods. 
7) Increase endurance. Most injuries occur when a dancer is fatigued and therefore it is important to improve aerobic capacity to delay fatigue. About 20 minutes of moderate to vigorous cardiovascular exercise such as swimming or cycling can bring about aerobic fitness increases. Swimming is a preferable choice for improving endurance over activities such as running or cycling, which place much more demand on the lower extremities (Koutedakis 2004).
​8) Increase muscle strength. Body conditioning, weight lifting, and pilates are excellent for increasing lean muscle mass. 
9) Address the signs of burnout early to avoid prolonged symptoms.
10) Consider reducing your schedule intensity if you are dancing > 5 hours a day or > 20 hours per week.

REFERENCES:
1) Koutedakis, Y. (2000). " Burnout” in Dance: the physiological viewpoint.
2) Koutedakis, Y., & Jamurtas, A. (2004). The dancer as a performing athlete. Sports Medicine, 34(10), 651-661.