Musculoskeletal Pain in Dance: Prevalence, Localisation and Development Over Time in Amateur Dancers and Professional DanceTeachers

Abstract

Pain in sport occurs both as a result of acute injuries and in the form of chronic pain due to overuse or misuse. Pain often occurs in dance and is associated with the high specific strain on the musculoskeletal system caused by dance techniques. There is a lack of data on pain-relevant aspects in semi-professional and ambitious popular sports. This applies to dancers and (professional) dance teachers alike. This study aimed to determine pain with regard to prevalence, localisation and development over time in female dancers (T) and dance teachers (TP) engaged in non-professional dance. This descriptive quantitative cross-sectional observational study was conducted with semi-professional dancers (n = 153) and professional dance teachers (n = 149) in the context of a fully structured anonymous online survey. More than 70 % of the respondents reported pain in the musculoskeletal system occurring in the context of dancing both within the last 3 and 12 months, with the lower back and knee joints being most frequently and strongly affected. Regarding the development over time, both T and TP predominantly suffered from pain that lasted for more than six months and occurred frequently. In TP, the pain lasted longer, was more likely to occur at rest and was more often associated with limited mobility and resilience compared with the T group. Regarding prevalence and localisation of pain, the available results are comparable with previous study results from the professional field, both in the TP and T areas. Health risks and (professional) restrictions associated with them are mainly caused by chronic pain development in TP. Therefore, the treatment and management of chronic pain conditions in the healthcare of TP can be very important with regard to their professional participation.