Lower leg and foot contributions to turnout in pre-professional female dancers: A clinical and kinematic analysis

Turnout, the act of externally rotating the legs, is a fundamental element of many forms of dance. Dancers with limited hip external rotation often forcibly rotate their lower limb joints beyond their anatomical limitations in order to achieve the illusion of a high turnout. This thesis broadens our understanding of the contribution of lower leg and foot to turnout. Specifically, it revealed that foot/ankle contribution to turnout is more important than previously thought, with dancers more likely to compensate turnout via foot pronation rather than knee external rotation. This research has also developed a reliable, dance-specific 3D multi-segment foot model.