Cognitive, emotional, and somatosensory behavior in professional dancers with acute and chronic pain.

BACKGROUND

Dance has been linked in a complex manner to pain and the physical and psychological peculiarities of this discipline could influence pain perception and chronicity of pain.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the differences in cognitive, emotional, and somatosensory symptoms between dancers with acute versus chronic pain.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study of professional dancers with pain.

SETTING

Higher conservatory of dance.

PARTICIPANTS

Thirty-four professional dancers experiencing pain were included. The cohort was divided into two subgroups: those with acute pain (<3 months duration) and those with chronic pain (>3 months duration).

INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pain intensity (as measured by the visual analogue scale or VAS), pressure pain threshold (PPT), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), pain-related fear of movement (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia [TSK-11]), fear avoidance beliefs (Fear-Avoidance Beliefs Questionnaire [FABQ]), self-efficacy (Chronic Pain Self-Efficacy Scale [CPSS]). and chronic pain severity (Chronic Pain Graded Scale [CPGS]).

RESULTS

Dancers with chronic pain reported higher levels of pain intensity in daily activities (p < .01; t = 3.42; d = 1.17) and during exercise/dance (p = .02; t = 2.82; d = 0.82), as well as lower PPT in lumbar (p = .03; t = 3.22; d = 1.1) and tibialis regions (p = .01; t = 2.51; d = 0.86). Dancers with acute pain experienced worse psychological symptoms indicated by the fear of harm subscale of TSK-11 (p = .04; t = -2.08; d = 0.72), physical activity subscale of FABQ (p = .03; t = -2.27; d = 0.78), and pain management subscale of CPSS (p = .01; t = -2.76; d = 0.94) and lower scores for CPGS scale (p = .01; t = 2.99; d = 0.7 to 1.26).

CONCLUSIONS

The results showed differences in pain intensity and PPT revealing higher values in dancers with chronic pain. It is possible that the physical and psychological characteristics of dancers, as well as the sociocultural aspects of this discipline, could influence the way in which this population interprets pain.