Sagittal Integral Morphotype of Female Classical Ballet Dancers and Predictors of Sciatica and Low Back Pain.

Antonio Cejudo,Sebastián Gómez-Lozano,Alfonso Vargas-Macías,Fernando Santonja-Medina,Pilar Sainz De Baranda

doi:10.3390/ijerph18095039

Abstract

The aims of this study were to describe the sagittal integral morphotype (SIM) of classical ballet (CB) dancers, and to establish predictor factors and their cut off values for high risk of experiencing sciatica or low back pain (LBP). This retrospective cohort study was performed in 33 female professional CB dancers. Data related to anthropometric parameters, CB dance experience, sciatica or LBP history, and sagittal spine curvatures were collected. A binary logistic regression and receiver-operating characteristic analysis were performed. The main spine misalignments observed in the SIM of CB dancers were thoracic functional hyperkyphosis, hypomobile kyphosis, and hypokyphosis, and those for the lumbar curvature were hyperlordotic attitude and functional hyperkyphosis. The lumbar curvature in slump sitting and trunk forward bending positions, together with the stature, were significant predictor factors of sciatica history, while the years of dance experience was a significant predictor factor of LBP history. The cut off values analysis revealed that dancers with a stature of 161 cm or less, and those with 14 years of experience or more, have a greater probability of experiencing sciatica or LBP history, respectively.

Highlights

Classical ballet (CB) is a combination of athletic and artistic activities, where dancers perform complex movement patterns, highly demanding in strength, flexibility, and neuromotor control [1,2]
With regard to the spine misalignments of the lumbar curvature, the highest percentage was observed in relaxed standing (RS) compared to those shown in slump sitting (SS) and trunk forward bending (TFB)
Several authors [9,11] have suggested that the repetition of specific and sustained movements of the CB dance such as the Port de Bras Devant, Circle Port de Bras, or Cambré Derrière cause the decrease in thoracic curvature in RS and TFB

Summary

Introduction

Classical ballet (CB) is a combination of athletic and artistic activities, where dancers perform complex movement patterns, highly demanding in strength, flexibility, and neuromotor control [1,2]. This discipline implies high physical and technical demands on the trunk [3]. The CB dancers show between 0.6 to 4.4 injuries per 1000 h of dance practice [1,2,5,6]. The incidence of spine injuries (thoracic and lumbar facet joint dysfunction and nerve root pathology) has been established in a range from 0.12 to 0.34 per 1000 h of dance practice [5]. Gamboa et al, [1] observed back pain in the 9.4% of dancers of a boarding dance school, and nearly one third of the CB and flamenco dancers showed at least one degenerated disc in the study performed by

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