Musculoskeletal Pain in Latin American Formation Dance: Localization, Assessment, and Related Behavior

Competitive Latin formation dance, a form of dancesport, places extreme physical demands on dancers that can cause pain. Due to the sex-specific requirements of dancesport, sex-specific differences in pain are probable. The aim of this study was to analyze pain with regard to prevalence, localization, perception, assessment, and related behavior in male and female Latin formation dancers. The quantitative cross-sectional observational study was carried out with 41 female and 31 male dancers of a national premier league by use of an anonymous online survey, with 3- and 12-month pain intervals being recorded. Of all participating subjects, 33 females and 26 males confirmed having been in pain during the most recent 3 months and provided detailed information on the pain factors being studied. In order to operationalize pain characteristics, existing pain assessment measures were adapted for dancers. For the most painful body regions, accompanying symptoms, pain intensity, pain perception, and pain evaluation were surveyed. The pain behavior section included questions about trusted persons and dancing despite pain, as well as pain management strategies. As to pain localization, several parts of the lower extremity (hip joint, groin, ankle joint, forefoot, and toes) were significantly more affected in females than in males (p < 0.05). Sensory and affective pain perception ranged from "hardly" to "moderate," with female dancers being more severely affected. Almost 80% of each sex continued dancing despite pain. Intrinsic motives and solidarity with the dance team were most often given as reasons for this behavior. Primarily, sex-specific physical requirements seemed to be most relevant in the occurrence of pain; in addition, pain assessment characteristics and personal behavior were related to attitudes regarding pain and injury. Therefore, in addition to sex, motivational and socio-cultural factors should be considered in future studies of this subject.