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Dance for Chronic Pain Conditions: A Systematic Review
Benjamin Hickman1, Fereshteh Pourkazemi1, Roxanna N Pebdani1
1Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Pain Medicine (Malden, Mass.)
|June 23, 2022
Summary
Dance interventions significantly improve chronic pain management. This review found that dance positively impacts both primary and secondary musculoskeletal pain, offering a valuable adjunct therapy.
Area of Science:
- Pain Management
- Rehabilitation Medicine
- Psychosocial Health
Background:
- Chronic pain affects 20-25% of the global population.
- Dance offers potential psychosocial and physical benefits for pain relief.
- This review synthesizes evidence on dance interventions for chronic pain.
Approach:
- Systematic review and results-based convergent synthesis.
- Included qualitative and quantitative studies meeting specific duration criteria.
- Searched seven major databases from inception to January 2021.
Key Points:
- 34 studies with 1,254 participants were included.
- Fibromyalgia and generalized chronic pain were common conditions studied.
- 74% of studies reported reduced pain quantitatively; 88% showed improved pain experience qualitatively.
Conclusions:
- Dance interventions demonstrate positive effects on chronic primary and secondary musculoskeletal pain.
- Improved pain measures and themes of pain coping/acceptance were noted.
- Dance is an effective adjunct therapy for chronic pain management.
