Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) figures show fitness craze Zumba is more dangerous than it appears.

While at least one district health board is promoting Zumba as a way of losing weight, in two years ACC has received more than 1600 claims for Zumba-related injuries. Those injuries – mostly to knees, lower backs and ankles – have cost about $750,000. Add Zumba to all the other styles, and dancing costs ACC as much as mountain-biking.

Some question the credentials of instructors. A former Zumba instructor told 3 News he wasn’t surprised at the figures, saying most instructors aren’t qualified – training is a one-day course and a 30-page handbook. He even knew of a Zumba class taught in the back of a fruit shop.

Zumba may cost ACC almost $400,000 a year, but that’s nothing compared to rugby, with an average of $50 million a year over the past six years.

“Every time that someone starts a physical activity or a programme a sport, you have some type of risk of getting injured,” says Zumba instructor Carolina Arias. “If you look at that number in comparison to sports like rugby, it’s a $300 million claim. So Zumba is little compared to that.”

Auckland District Health Board gave start up funding to the hugely popular classes in South Auckland two years ago, and a spokesman said they still see them as a positive step to promoting healthy lifestyles.

Reference: 3 News