Within just three weeks this summer, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital in eastern Jiangsu Province received five children with spinal injuries caused by dancing.
今年夏天，在短短三周内，江苏省东部的南京鼓楼医院接收了五名因跳舞而脊柱受伤的儿童。
Treating children's spinal injuries and deformities caused by movements such as backbends and somersaults has become a global challenge over the past two decades, according to Liu Zhen, associate chief of the hospital's spinal surgery department.
据该院脊柱外科副主任刘震介绍，在过去的20年里，治疗那些由后弯和翻筋斗等运动引起的儿童脊柱损伤和畸形已经成为一个全球性的挑战。
An 11-year-old girl, one of the five, became paralyzed from the waist down at the age of 5 after practicing backbends in a dance class. Over the next six years, she also developed scoliosis, a sideways curvature of the spine.
其中五名儿童中的一名11岁的女孩，在5岁那年舞蹈课练习后弯以后，腰部以下导致瘫痪。在接下来的六年里，她还患上了脊柱侧弯，脊柱偏向一侧的弯曲。
"This is a common complication of paralysis," Liu told Chengdu Economic Daily. "Children with this kind of paralysis [resulting from sports-related spinal cord injury] will usually be wheelchair-bound for the rest of their lives."
刘震在接受《成都商报》采访时表示:“这是瘫痪的常见并发症。”“患有这种瘫痪(由运动相关的脊髓损伤引起)的儿童通常会在轮椅上度过余生。”
The culprit
罪魁祸首
Given there is currently no effective treatment for this type of paralysis, prevention is the only cure. But data from a team of medical professors in Shanghai shows that the number of very young victims of sports-related spinal cord injuries has risen sharply in recent years.
鉴于目前没有有效的治疗方法，预防是唯一的治疗方法。但上海一个医学教授团队的数据显示，近年来，因运动导致脊髓损伤的幼童人数急剧上升。
Guo Xiaodong, a professor at the city's Union Hospital affiliated to the Tongji Medical School of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, leads a research on the issue. His team's statistics show that since 2005, more than 1,000 children in China have been paralyzed after doing backbends, making it a leading cause of spinal cord injury in children in the country.
郭晓东(音译)，华中科技大学同济医学院附属协和医院的教授，他主导一项关于这个课题的研究。他的团队的统计数据显示，自2005年以来，中国有1000多名儿童在做后弯后瘫痪，使其成为中国儿童脊髓损伤的主要原因。
From 1992 to 2002, children with spinal cord injuries caused by backbends accounted for only 4 percent of all cases. However, from 2015 to 2019, this percentage increased to 33.9 percent and has continued to increase since.
从1992年到2002年，儿童因后弯引起的脊髓损伤只占所有病例的4%。然而，从2015年到2019年，这一百分比上升到33.9%，并且此后持续上升。
Experienced in treating children with such paralysis, Guo told Xinhua News Agency that the complications also include severe osteoporosis, a condition that causes bones to become weak and brittle, recurrent urethral infections, bedsores and psychological disorders.
在治疗小儿麻痹方面郭教授经验丰富，他告诉新华社记者，这些并发症还包括严重的骨质疏松症(一种导致骨骼变弱变脆的疾病)、反复尿道感染、褥疮和心理障碍。
But how can movements like backbends and somersaults potentially have such severe consequences?
但是像后弯和翻筋斗这样的动作怎么会有如此严重的潜在后果呢?
The spinal cord is stretched when bending backward, Guo explained. Children's spines are flexible, and the vertebrae can realign themselves after relative displacement, but it is usually difficult for the spinal cord to adapt to the excessive stretching that is caused by significant changes in posture. Eventually, these substantial postural changes are more likely to lead to spinal injuries.
郭教授解释说，脊髓在向后弯曲时被拉伸。儿童的脊柱是灵活的，椎体在相对位移后可以重新调整自己，但由于姿势的显著变化而导致的过度拉伸通常使脊髓难以适应。最终，这些实质性的姿势变化更有可能导致脊柱损伤。
However, it is still common for dance training schools to include moves like the backbend as basic movements and as part of the routine practice for children. Many teachers, and parents, are not aware of the dire consequences these exercises may have.
然而，舞蹈培训学校仍然普遍将后弯等动作作为基本动作和儿童常规练习的一部分。许多老师和家长都没有意识到这些练习可能带来的可怕后果。
But in the authoritative Chinese dance grading textbooks published by Beijing Dance Academy, the backbend is not included for grading children's dance.
但在北京舞蹈学院出版的权威性中国舞蹈评分教材中，并没有将后弯动作列入儿童舞蹈评分。
"It is not recommended that dance instructors apply external pressure to a child's lower back, which especially goes for children between the ages of 4 and 6, the age group most prone to dance-related injuries," Dong Daier, an instructor at Beijing Dance Academy, said in a video she uploaded to Douyin, China's TikTok.
“不建议舞蹈教练对孩子的下背部施加外部压力，尤其是4到6岁的孩子，这个年龄段最容易受到与舞蹈有关的伤害，”北京舞蹈学院的教练董黛儿(音)在她上传到抖音的一段视频中说。
"Risky moves, including the backbend, are not meant for beginners and experienced teachers should know that; it's a matter of common sense," Dong said. "Flexibility training should be built up over time, with shorter practice times and lower intensity in the initial stages."
“有风险的动作，包括后弯，不适合初学者，有经验的老师应该知道这一点，这是一个常识问题。”“柔韧性训练应该随着时间的推移而逐渐积累，在初始阶段应该缩短练习时间，降低强度。”
Some unqualified dance training schools simply don't follow standardized training requirements, Dong concluded, adding this, from her perspective, was the main cause of the tragedies.
董教练总结道，一些不合格的舞蹈培训学校根本没有遵循标准化的培训要求，并补充说，在她看来，这是造成悲剧的主要原因。
Bending over backwards
向后弯腰
On July 21, the Ministry of Education and the China Consumers Association jointly issued a warning to parents to be wary of their choice of dance classes for their offspring. In particular, it warned parents to be highly aware of the risks of injury, and even paralysis, which may result from movements such as backbends in children's dance training.
7月21日，教育部和中国消费者协会联合发出警告，提醒家长在为子女选择舞蹈课程时要谨慎。特别警告家长要高度警惕儿童舞蹈训练中的后弯等动作可能导致的受伤风险，甚至瘫痪。
"We don't recommend children under the age of 8 to practice the backbend," Sun Haolin, an orthopedist at Beijing-based Peking University First Hospital, explained. "Unsuitable dance movements have become a major cause of spinal cord injuries among children in China."
北京大学第一医院骨科医生孙浩林解释说:“我们不建议8岁以下的孩子练习后弯。”“不合适的舞蹈动作已经成为中国儿童脊髓损伤的主要原因。”
He recommended parents get their children checked out before letting them practice backbends. "Children with underlying spinal defects, such as spinal dysraphism, a group of disorders of the spine in which the posterior bony and neuronal tissues fail to fuse, and tethered cord syndrome, a group of neurological disorders that relate to malformations of the spinal cord, should avoid practicing backbends. In addition, children should have an adequate warm-up prior to the performance of movements such as backbends," he said.
他建议家长在让孩子练习后弯之前先检查一下身体。“有潜在脊柱缺陷的儿童，如脊柱裂，为一组脊柱疾病，其中后骨和神经组织不能融合，还有脊髓栓系综合症，一组与脊髓畸形有关的神经系统疾病，应避免练习后弯。此外，孩子们在表演后弯等动作之前应该有足够的热身活动。
Dong emphasized children should always practice dance movements under professional supervision. Children under the age of 10 should focus more on cultivating interest and artistic sense in practicing dance, and should not practice difficult movements such as backbends, or any moves involving excessive spinal extension, splits, or somersaults at an early age.
董教练强调，孩子们应该在专业指导下练习舞蹈动作。10岁以下的儿童在练习舞蹈时应更注重培养兴趣和艺术感，不应过早练习难度较大的动作，如后弯，或任何涉及过度脊柱伸展、劈叉或翻跟头的动作。
"And I won't give a specific age that would be fine for children to start doing these moves," Dong added. "If a child shows a strong interest and unique talent in dance, it is recommended that they undergo formal and regular dance training after their skeletal development is mature. Experienced and qualified teachers will tell you the same thing."
“我不会给出孩子们开始做这些动作的具体年龄，”董教练补充道。“如果孩子对舞蹈表现出强烈的兴趣和独特的天赋，建议他们在骨骼发育成熟后接受正式和定期的舞蹈训练。经验丰富和合格的老师会给你同样的意见。”
A netizen named Yanting commented on a video about dance-related spinal cord injury and paralysis on Douyin, saying that she is now in her early 20s and still suffers from lower back pain caused by being forced to practice backbends in dance class at the age of 7.
一名名为严婷的网友在抖音上一段与舞蹈有关的脊髓损伤和瘫痪的视频上发表了评论，她说自己现在20岁出头，但由于7岁时在舞蹈课上被迫练习后弯，腰痛仍然困扰着她。
"It was like a competition among the parents," she wrote. "When some of the other children could do a backbend in class, my mother would push me to practice more and say I should easily be able to literally bend over backwards given children are more flexible."
“这就像是父母之间的竞争，”她写道：“当其他孩子可以在课堂上做后弯时，我妈妈会督促我多练习，并说我应该很容易就能向后弯腰，因为孩子们更灵活。”
"It is a matter of awareness," Dong said. "We should help more parents to learn about the risks these movements can hold for their children."
“这是一个意识问题，”董教练说：“我们应该帮助更多的父母了解这些运动可能给他们的孩子带来的风险。”
Professor Guo revealed there is a period of time known as the "golden hours" immediately after a traumatic injury, during which there is the highest likelihood that prompt medical and surgical treatment will prevent serious injury, or even death, for children who are unfortunately injured due to improper practice. If a child feels discomfort after doing a backbend, it is crucial to seek medical help within eight hours to minimize injury to the spinal cord.
郭教授透露，创伤后有一段时间被称为“黄金时间”，在此期间，由于操作不当而不幸受伤的儿童采取及时接受医疗和手术治疗，最有可能防止严重伤害甚至死亡。如果孩子在做后弯后感到不适，在8小时内寻求医疗帮助以尽量减少对脊髓的伤害是至关重要的。
If a child feels physically uncomfortable while practicing backbends, they should stop immediately and lie down to rest. If the child feels better after resting for a while, they should continue to rest, but standing up and walking are not recommended. "If the child doesn't feel better after an hour, they should be taken to a hospital, but the child should lie flat on a board or a stretcher and avoid being carried or held while being taken to the hospital," Guo said.
如果孩子在练习后弯时感到身体不舒服，应立即停下来躺下休息。如果孩子休息一段时间后感觉好多了，可以继续休息，但不建议站起来走路。郭说:“如果孩子在一个小时后没有感觉好转，他们应该被送往医院，但孩子应该平躺在木板或担架上，在被送往医院的过程中避免被抬或抱着。”
翻译整理：2023年9月3日于北城家园
