Background Low back pain is a condition present during both adulthood and adolescence. Adolescents with low back pain may benefit from treatment focused on improving abdominal muscle performance and motor control. The supine double leg lowering test (SDLLT) may be a reliable measure to assess core stability in adults, but adolescent performance on the SDLLT has not yet been established in the literature. Purpose To examine performance on the SDLLT in healthy adolescents ages 13 to 18 years and describe influences of gender, age, body mass index, and participation in sport. Study Design Cross-Sectional Study Methods Four licensed physical therapists administered the SDLLT with a Stabilizer pressure biofeedback cuff and inclinometer in 90 adolescents without low back pain (females = 41, males = 49) from three schools in a mid-western metropolitan area. Descriptive statistics, independent sample t-tests, two-way analysis of variance, and Pearson correlation coefficients were utilized to analyze the data. Results Average SDLLT score was 72.36 +/- 12.54 degrees. A significant difference between SDLLT score was present between genders with males performing better than females. No interactions between performance and involvement in sport were demonstrated. Conclusions Female and male adolescents appear to perform differently on the SDLLT with a stabilizer and appear to perform worse than scores recorded for adults. The SDLLT may be used to measure motor control in adolescents, but clinicians should utilize age-appropriate data for clinical decision making. Levels of Evidence Level 2c

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common issue in female athletes and is known to negatively impact quality of life and sport performance. However, the prevalence of UI in dancers has not been widely investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of UI as well as other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction in female professional dancers. Methods: An anonymous online survey that included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) was developed and distributed via e-mail and social media. Two hundred and eight female professional dancers between the ages of 18 and 41 years (mean: 25.4 ± 5.2 years) who had a typical dance training and performance schedule of 25 hours or more per week completed the survey. Results: A total of 34.6% of participants reported experiencing UI, with 31.9% of the dancers who reported UI reporting symptoms consistent with urge UI, 52.8% reporting UI with coughing or sneezing, and 54.2% reporting UI with physical activity or exercise. For those reporting UI, the mean ICIQ-UI SF score was 5.4 ± 2.5 points and the mean score for impact on everyday life was 2.9 ± 1.9. A report of pain with sexual activity and intercourse was significantly associated with presence of UI (p = 0.024), but the effect size was not notable (phi = 0.159).Conclusion: The prevalence of UI in female professional dancers is similar to that found in other high-level female athletes. Based on the notable prevalence of UI, health care professionals working with professional dancers should consider regularly screening for UI and other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.

Introduction: Urinary incontinence (UI) is a common issue in female athletes and is known to negatively impact quality of life and sport performance. However, the prevalence of UI in dancers has not been widely investigated. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of UI as well as other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction in female professional dancers. Methods: An anonymous online survey that included the International Consultation on Incontinence Questionnaire-Urinary Incontinence Short Form (ICIQ-UI SF) was developed and distributed via e-mail and social media. Two hundred and eight female professional dancers between the ages of 18 and 41 years (mean: 25.4 ± 5.2 years) who had a typical dance training and performance schedule of 25 hours or more per week completed the survey. Results: A total of 34.6% of participants reported experiencing UI, with 31.9% of the dancers who reported UI reporting symptoms consistent with urge UI, 52.8% reporting UI with coughing or sneezing, and 54.2% reporting UI with physical activity or exercise. For those reporting UI, the mean ICIQ-UI SF score was 5.4 ± 2.5 points and the mean score for impact on everyday life was 2.9 ± 1.9. A report of pain with sexual activity and intercourse was significantly associated with presence of UI (p = 0.024), but the effect size was not notable (phi = 0.159). Conclusion: The prevalence of UI in female professional dancers is similar to that found in other high-level female athletes. Based on the notable prevalence of UI, health care professionals working with professional dancers should consider regularly screening for UI and other symptoms of pelvic floor dysfunction.