Interoceptive Sensibility in Professional Dancers Living With or Without Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study

There is a growing body of literature investigating the use of manual therapy to modulate pain through interoceptive pathways, but studies amongst the dancer population are lacking.

To investigate self-reported measures of interoceptive sensibility (IAs) in professional dancers living with or without pain, and to explore associations between IAs and confounding variables (e.g., psychopathologies).

128 UK-based adult professional dancers, from any dance style, living with or without pain, completed a cross-sectional online survey. Pain status was self-reported and participants were assigned in three study groups for analyses (pain-free n=26, acute n=30, and chronic pain n=72). The Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness, ver. 2 (MAIA-2) was used to measure IAs. An additional questionnaire was used to collect demographic and putative confounding data (i.e., age, sex, BMI, dance style, employment status, level of experience, mindfulness experience, pain history and management such as manual therapy use, eating disorders, depression, and anxiety).

No overall significant difference was found in IAs between groups (pain-free-control, acute, and chronic pain). A one-way ANOVA showed significantly lower scores for the MAIA-2 Non-Distracting subscale in dancers living with pain (acute or chronic) compared to the pain-free-control group. Moreover, an association between manual therapy use and some subscales of the MAIA-2 was found in the population.

Results should be interpreted with caution, as major confounding variables (i.e., psychopathologies) could not be excluded from the analysis due to their high prevalence in the sample. Positive associations between adaptive subscales of the MAIA-2 and the use of manual therapy support a need for further research investigating potential clinical applications using interoceptive pathways in the specialised management of pain in dancers.