Overuse, tissue fatigue, and injuries.

Research has provided abundant evidence that overtraining is associated with fatigue and subsequent injury. For many years, it has been axiomatic that the vast majority of dance injuries are the result of overuse, and that dancers frequently persist in movement activities in the presence of microscopic injury--i.e., "dance through" injuries. While it is well-established fact that rest and adequate nutrition are vital components of training and conditioning, for various reasons it remains problematic for dancers to assimilate these requirements into their daily regimen. This review article provides some physiologically and biomechanically based information about the causes, inter-relationships, and consequences of these fundamental premises in dance science.