Femoral neck anteversion in ballerinas

Abstract

The elite ballet dancer has greater-than-average turnout, or external rotation, in the hip. Anatomic constraints, such as the angle of version of the femoral neck, or the femoral neck anteversion (FNA) angle, may limit the amount of external rotation or turnout in the hip. The purpose of this study was to determine whether dancers who have better-than-average turnout have lower-than-average FNA angles. Fourteen elite female dancers from three major American ballet companies were studied. The FNA angles were measured in 28 hips by magnetic resonance imaging techniques. The mean FNA angle in the dancers measured 11.9 degrees (range, 4 degrees-24 degrees), and was similar to the mean FNA angle in the general population (11.4 degrees). It was concluded that the average femoral neck anteversion angle in this select group of dancers is similar to that of the general population, although none of the dancers in this study had severe femoral neck anteversion.