Low Back Pain and Dance: A quantitative Analysis

Lower back pain (LBP) is a common issue among dancers across various styles. This study aims to investigate the 12-month prevalence, level of disability, duration and frequency of LBP episodes in a sample of dancers engaged in different dance styles. Additionally, it seeks to identify risk factors for low back pain, including dance style, sociodemographic factors, and psychosocial factors.

A survey was conducted via an online questionnaire utilizing www.SoSciSurvey.de. 77 dancers aged between 14 and 45 years, who danced at least 1 hour per week on average, were included. The sample comprised both recreational and professional dancers, exhibiting a wide range of workloads. Participants conveyed their sociodemographic Information, parameters related to their dancing and their 12-month prevalence of LBP including the duration and frequency of LBP episodes. To assess the degree of LBP induced disability, participants completed the Oswestry disability Index (ODI). A Chi-squared Test (Prevalence), Kruskal-Wallis Test (H-test), and Spearman correlation (confounders) were conducted.

The 12-month prevalence of LBP in the cohort was high with 83.1%. The dance style did not have a statistically significant impact on the 12-month prevalence (P = .844) and the ODI (P = .065). Satisfaction with their own dance performance, coaching staff and the dance group, as well as heavy manual labor, smoking and psychological comorbidities were all statistically significantly correlated with at least 1 of the outcomes (P < .05).

Psychosocial factors, psychological comorbidities, and lifestyle factors such as occupation and smoking status impacted LBP. Dance style did not affect LBP significantly.