Health
Zumba Dance Workout Is The Most Dangerous Type Of Dancing- Study
Zumba dancers can expect an average of 3.9 injuries for every 1,000 hours on the dance floor
A new study has found that the Latin-inspired Zumba dance workout is the most dangerous type of dancing. Zumba is a lively style of dance that has its roots in Cuba. It combines fitness training and dance moves.
According to the study conducted by researchers from Coventry University in the U.K., Zumba dancers can expect an average of 3.9 injuries for every 1,000 hours on the dance floor. The review of five popular forms of dancing has found that salsa dancers experience up to 1.1 injuries during the same period, while dancers performing other forms of aerobic dancing experienced 2.9 injuries.
The study, which was conducted solely to find out the dangers of salsa dancing, quizzed 450 salsa dancers between the ages of 18 and 64. They were asked a few questions like how often they dance, if they do any other exercise and if they warm up beforehand.
At the end of the study, it was found that up to 22 percent of salsa dancers suffer at least one injury every year. This is compared to 14 percent of men. The most common cause of injury was being stepped on by another dancer.
As per the results, women are twice more likely to be injured by salsa dancing than men. They suffer 1.1 injuries for every 1,000 hours they spend dancing the salsa compared to 0.5 injuries for men.
The research team, led by Dr. Pablo Domene, then compared the rates of injury from salsa dancing to four other types of dance. It was found that ballroom dancing has a similar injury rate to salsa at 1.5 and 0.5 per 1,000 hours for women and men. Zumba was the most dangerous among all the four forms, even more than aerobic dance (2.9 per 1,000) and Spanish dancing, such as the Flamenco (1.5 per 1,000).
The researchers suggested that in order to avoid injuries while dancing, people should avoid dancing when the environment is overcrowded. They should also take care not to collide with or step on other dancers and avoid wearing open-toed shoes.
The findings were published in the Journal of Physical Activity and Health.
