The Margin of Stability During a Single-Turn Pirouette in Female Amateur Dancers: A Pilot Study

Balance control in pirouettes has previously been characterized by constraint of the topple angle. However, there is a paucity of research using the margin of stability (MoS) as a dynamic measure of balance related to pirouettes. Therefore, this study aimed primarily to examine the MoS as a metric of balance during a single-turn en dehors pirouette in healthy female amateur ballet dancers. Four participants performed pirouettes until five successful pirouettes were achieved without hopping or loss of balance. Three-dimensional motion capture was used to record the motion trajectories of anatomical markers based on the Plug-in-Gait and Oxford Foot models. Motion synchronized with ground reaction forces was used to calculate the center of pressure (CoP), base of support (BoS), center of the pivot foot, center of mass (CoM), and extrapolated center of mass (XCoM) throughout the turn phase, using laboratory (LCS) and virtual left foot (LFT) coordinate systems. In the LCS and LFT coordinate system, the excursions and patterns of motion of both the CoM and XCoM relative to the CoP were similar, suggesting a neurological relationship. Two different measures of the margin of stability (MoS) in the LFT coordinate system were tabulated: the distance between the (1) XCoM and CoP and (2) XCoM and BoS center. The magnitude of both versions of the MoS was greatest at turn initiation and toe-touch, which was associated with two foot contacts. The MoS values were at a minimum approximately 50% of the stance during the turn phase: close to zero along the anteroposterior (A/P) axis and approximately 50 mm along the mediolateral (M/L) axis. On average, MoS magnitudes were reduced (mean across participants: approximately 20 mm) along the A/P axis, and larger MoS magnitudes (mean across participants: approximately 50 mm) along the M/L axis throughout the turn phase. Although all turns analyzed were completed successfully, the larger MoS values along the M/L axis suggest a fall potential. The variability between trials within a dancer and across participants and trials was documented and showed moderate inter-trial (16% to 51%) and across-participant CV% (range: 10% to 28%), with generally larger variations along the A/P axis. Although our results are preliminary, they suggest that the MoS may be useful for detecting faults in the control of dynamic balance in dehors pirouette performance, as a part of training and rehabilitation following injury.