PURPOSE: The purpose of this project was to create a preliminary protocol for the safe return to elite ballet after pregnancy. The goal was to generate a pathway, focusing on physical and mental wellbeing, to allow dancers to return to their prepregnancy level of dance and to assist ballet organisations to create suitable policies regarding safe return to dance.  

METHODS: A multidisciplinary group of specialists, consisting of sports medicine clinicians, dance and women’s health physiotherapists, obstetricians, dietitians, and sports psychologists formed a working group for this project. The initial task was a literature review, specifically looking into the fields of postpartum return to physical activity/elite sport/dance, and common postpartum complications experienced by female athletes. Literature review also examined the postpartum period for specific population groups often found within the dance community (i.e. those with hypermobility/ligamentous laxity, body dysmorphia/eating disorders, low energy availability/REDS/low BMD). The working group benchmarked against other professional dance companies and sporting organisations with postpartum return policies if available. Dancers, Artistic Staff and dance company Human Resource staff were also consulted throughout the process.
 
RESULTS: Through the combination of literature review and multidisciplinary team experience, a six-phase protocol for return to elite dance was created: Planning, Recovery, Rehabilitation, Conditioning, Modified Return, and Final Clearance. The initial stage begins during pregnancy and includes postpartum planning, risk factor identification, and education in the women’s health space.  Subsequent stages follow principles of recovery and rehabilitation across multiple discipline areas, progressively allowing dancers to return to dance participation and performance.  

CONCLUSION: This protocol was created to safely assist elite ballet dancers to return to their prepregnancy level of performance, and addresses a gap in industry knowledge and high-performance sport literature. This pathway supports female dancers’ physical and mental health and general wellbeing, in the short and long terms. By releasing this preliminary protocol, we aim to add to the collective knowledge in this area and generate interest and opportunities for research into female athlete/dancer physiology and elite performance. 

DISCLOSURE: The authors have nothing to disclose.