Injury, Training, Biomechanical, and Physiological Profiles of Professional Breakdancers

BACKGROUND: Breakdancing or breaking will enter the Olympics in 2024, however, there is a paucity of literature exploring the epidemiology, demands, and performance. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to describe injury and training profiles, along with the results of a short performance test battery, in a group of elite breakers. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional study (retrospective). METHODS: Fourteen breakdancers (breakers) (4 Bgirls, 10 Bboys) participated in an interview regarding their injury and training history, endurance test (cycle VO(2max) testing), counter movement jump, squat jump, drop jump, isometric hip abduction, adduction, shoulder external and internal rotation strength testing on a fixed-frame dynamometer. Breakers were divided into elite (n=10) and developing (n=4) based on their qualification for a world finals competition; Wilcoxen rank sums were used to compare the two groups, or in the case of strength testing between those with and without an injury history. RESULTS: The breakers had a median 11.0 [10.0 - 14.0] years breaking experience and trained 24.4 [20.5 - 30.0] hours per week. The knee was the most commonly injured body part and most frequently injured joint, with the thigh being the most common site for muscle injuries. There were no differences in endurance testing or jump height testing results between elite and developing breakers. There was no difference in shoulder external or internal rotation strength between athletes with a history of shoulder injury and those without. Similarly, there was no difference in hip abduction or adduction strength in those with a history of hip injury and those without. CONCLUSION: The results of this study should be viewed with caution due to the small sample size. However, this study is the first to publish functional and physiological descriptives on breakers. The authors hope these results support clinicians treating breakers as well as encourages future research related to breaking. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 2b