Author(s): TSAI, T., LI, C.J., JANKAEW, A., LIN, C.F., Institution: NATIONAL CHENG KUNG UNIVERSITY, Country: TAIWAN, Abstract-ID: 1502

INTRODUCTION:
The hamstring complex is crucial for lower-limb function, yet training demands differ vastly between general athletes and ballet dancers. While flexibility, stiffness, muscle thickness, and kinesiophobia are known injury risk factors in sports, it is unclear whether these athletic paradigms apply to the extreme range of motion required in ballet. This study compared hamstring flexibility, stiffness, thickness, and kinesiophobia between ballet dancers and general athletes, examining the associations between physical and psychological factors within each group.
METHODS:
This cross-sectional study recruited ballet dancers (N=8) and general athletes (N=8). Assessments included flexibility: Active Knee Extension (AKE) and Straight Leg Raise (SLR); stiffness: Biceps femoris (BF) and semitendinosus (ST) stiffness via MyotonPRO; muscle Thickness: BF and ST thickness via ultrasonography at three knee angles (0°,60°, and 90°) and three contraction intensities (0%, 50%, 100% MVC); psychological: Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia (TSK-17). Between-group differences were analyzed using independent t-tests; associations were examined via Pearson correlations (p < 0.05).
RESULTS:
Ballet dancers demonstrated significantly greater flexibility in the right AKE (p=0.023) and left and right SLR (p=0.001 and p<0.001, respectively). Dancers also exhibited significantly lower muscle stiffness in the left and right ST (p=0.007 and p=0.003, respectively) and BF (p=0.013 and p=0.003, respectively) compared to athletes. No significant differences were observed in TSK-17 scores or muscle thickness between groups (p > 0.05).
In general athletes, TSK scores were negatively correlated with right BF (r=-0.712, p=0.048) and ST stiffness (r=-0.738, p=0.037), and positively correlated with BF thickness at 0° knee angle under 100% MVC (r=0.790, p=0.020). No significant correlations between psychological and physical parameters were found in the ballet group (p > 0.05).
CONCLUSION:
Ballet dancers possess distinct hamstring profiles characterized by higher flexibility and lower stiffness compared to general athletes. Interestingly, kinesiophobia was associated with muscle stiffness and contractile thickness only among general athletes. This suggests that the interplay between psychological factors and muscle mechanical properties may be population-specific. Injury prevention strategies should account for these differing associations when evaluating high-performance cohorts.