Predictors of first position turnout in collegiate dancers: The role of tibiofemoral external rotation and hip external rotation

OBJECTIVE: Turnout is a dance position with known contributions from the hip, knee, and foot. A standardized method measuring total turnout has not been established. This study assessed the relationships between first position turnout (FPT) and measures of hip and tibiofemoral external rotation. DESIGN: This is a retrospective chart review of screening physical examination data of the knee and hip in collegiate female dancers. Measurements included FPT, active hip external rotation in sitting (HERS), active hip external rotation in prone, and passive tibiofemoral external rotation (TFR). Measurement comparisons were made using paired-samples t tests, Pearson product moment correlation coefficients, and hierarchical multiple regression analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-three female dancers (aged 18-21 yrs) participated. Correlations ranged from 0.01 (left HERS and left TFR) to 0.54 (left TFR to left FPT). Hip rotation in sitting explained a significant amount of variance in FPT (17% explained variance on the right and 19% variance on the left). Left TFR explained an additional 30% of the variance in left FPT beyond the variance explained by HERS. Right TFR did not explain a significant amount of the variance in right FPT beyond the variance explained by HERS. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that active HERS and TFR are important contributors to FPT and that the relative contribution of these motions differ between sides.