Investigation of the effect of dance therapy on balance, falling risk, body awareness and functionality in females with chronic low back pain

This study was conducted to examine the effects of dance therapy on balance, falling risk, body awareness and functionality in patients with chronic low back pain. Forty female patients who participated in the study were divided into two groups, one as the dance therapy group and the other one as the control group. An individualized dance therapy program consisting of choreographies of different dance genres was applied to the patients in the dance therapy group in accordance with the needs of the patient group 3 days a week for 8 weeks. The control group was included in the classical exercise therapy program. Both groups were evaluated at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of their programs. After the demographic information was obtained in the evaluation, bilateral leg length measurements, lumbar flexion, extension, right lateral flexion and left lateral flexion goniometric measurements and waist and hip circumference measurements were performed. Patients were given the McGill Pain Scale Short Form to measure pain, the Oswestry Disability Index to measure functionality, the Body Awareness Ratio Questionnaire to measure body awareness, the Nottingham Health Profile Questionnaire to measure perceived health level, the Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia to measure kinesiophobia, and the World Health Organization The Quality of Life Scale-Short Form was administered to measure quality of life, and the Timed Up and Go Test was used to assess the falling risk, and the Y balance test to assess balance. At the end of the treatments, both groups were asked to indicate their satisfaction with the treatment on an 11-point likert scale. When the treatments were completed, improvement was detected in all parameters evaluated in both the control group and the dance therapy group (p<0,05). However, the dance therapy program was found to be more effective than the classical treatment group in increasing range of motion, functionality, body awareness, quality of life, perceived health level, balance and in reducing pain, kinesiophobia and risk of falling (p<0,05). It was determined that the patients in the dance therapy group were more satisfied with the treatment programs than the patients in the control group (p<0,05). It was concluded that dance therapy training can be used as an effective treatment method in increasing balance, body awareness, functionality and in reducing risk of falling in patients with chronic low back pain