4 Of The Most Brutal Dancing With The Stars Injuries

"Dancing with the Stars" celebrated its 34th season in 2025, and is still showing record ratings after all those years. In fact, according to the Los Angeles Times, its popularity spiked in 2025, reaching viewership and voting levels that the show hadn't seen since 2018. However, the program isn't without its dramatic downsides, especially for contestants who aren't accustomed to the brutal fitness regimens needed to professionally dance.

Truth be told, many celebrities who have entered the "Dancing with the Stars" ballroom have left not with the mirrored trophy but with serious injuries. Dozens of contestants have had to drop out of the contest over the years, and some of their accidents have been far worse than merely inconvenient scratches or bumps. For instance, Elaine Hendrix experienced a scary rib injury while practicing for the live show. As her dance partner Alan Bersten explained at the time, "Elaine froze and said she can't move, she can't breathe. Something happened with her rib" (via ABC News).

Hendrix further described what she underwent, stating that her ribs "just seized up," leaving her unable to move. She later told The Hollywood Reporter that images showed she hadn't done any lasting damage and that she was continuing with the competition despite being in pain.

One of the more dramatic "Dancing with the Stars" injuries happened when Misty May-Treanor ruptured her Achilles tendon in Season 7. The Olympian described to CBS News what occurred leading up to her experience: "I heard a pop." The moment wasn't during a live performance but rather a rehearsal leading up to show night.

Sudden and abrupt movements involving your feet and ankles can cause Achilles tendon ruptures. Typical treatments for this kind of injury include rest, physical therapy, or surgery. (Here's what happens if a torn Achilles goes untreated.) Achilles tendon tears are especially common among sports figures (like May-Treanor, a professional beach volleyball player) and professional dancers.

In May-Treanor's case, surgical intervention was necessary to restore the Achilles tendon in her left foot. By all accounts, the surgery was a success. However, May-Treanor was unable to continue to dance on the show, and had to end her participation that season. This isn't a surprise, given that Achilles tendon surgeries can take nearly half a year to heal.

Another "Dancing with the Stars" alum from the Olympian ranks who became injured was figure skater Dorothy Hamill. In fact, her condition took her out of the competition rotation during Season 16.

Hamill exited during the second week of performances due to a back injury. However, the injury wasn't caused by an accident or misstep. Instead, her dancing exacerbated a synovial cyst that she had on her spine. Said Hamill of the ensuing discomfort, "It's radiating down my leg and my foot and I have no stability in my ankle and I can't pull my toes back" (via ABC News).

When Hamill announced her discontinuation to the judges and home audience, she added that the nerve damage she suffered might be irreparable. Indeed, synovial cysts can be very painful as well as debilitating. They're fluid-filled growths that may be associated with natural aging, arthritis conditions (synovial cysts can be a warning sign of arthritis), or injuries. (Hamill had already been diagnosed with osteoarthritis.) Plus, they tend to appear in people over age 50, and Hamill was in her 50s at the time.

Sometimes, "Dancing with the Stars" injuries don't happen during the actual competition. Instead, they strike before the opening episode. Take the case of Christie Brinkley, who had to step out of the limelight before it even shone.

Brinkley was supposed to be a star in the season 28 lineup, but did damage to her wrist during the lead-up to the opening numbers. Her arm and wrist injuries were severe enough to warrant surgery, according to the network (via Entertainment Weekly). A USA Today report notes that she stumbled on her dancing partner's feet and fell. As a result, she broke her arm, one of the most common types of bone breaks. Although Brinkley couldn't continue, her daughter, Sailor Brinkley-Cook, picked up where her mother left off and stepped onto the ballroom floor.

Brinkley said that she was dedicated to making a full recovery. Nonetheless, she did express frustration about having a frozen shoulder in addition to her broken arm. (The conditions often coexist.) A frozen shoulder is caused by inflammation around the shoulder joint. Frozen shoulder incidences are most common in women and can take a year or longer to heal.