Classical Indian dance has earned recognition across the globe; however, the health of dancers who are carrying forth this heritage has not received due attention. Therefore, this study aimed to explore musculoskeletal pain and injury prevailing among Indian dancers in Mumbai and Mangalore. A secondary aim was to compare pain tolerance levels between dancers and non-dancers. Fifty-one dancers trained in different traditional Indian and Western dance forms and 164 recreational dancers were recruited as participants. An indigenous questionnaire was designed and validated by physical therapists across various levels of experience and dancers across various training levels. The questionnaire recorded dance, pain, and injury profiles. Additionally, pain tolerance was evaluated using the Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire among dancers and healthy age- and gender-matched controls (N = 200). Descriptive statistical analysis was performed to present results of the site of current pain, site of past injury, perceived causes of injury, and exercise routine. The Student's t-test was used to compare Pain Sensitivity Questionnaire scores between dancers and non-dancers, and independent one-way ANOVA was used to compare scores among dancers practicing different dance forms. For both current pain and past injury, dancers reported the back (42.5%) followed by the knee (28.3%) and ankle (18.6%) as the most common sites. Stress was the most commonly perceived cause of injury (34.4%), followed by over work (24.7%), tiredness (17.2%), and falls (13.5%). Warm-up exercises were always performed by 43.30% of dancers, whereas only 20% performed stretching after dance. Almost 60% of dancers participated in forms of exercise other than dance, e.g., swimming, yoga, and aerobics. Pain sensitivity was not significantly different between dancers and non-dancers (p = 0.159). Level of training and gender did not influence pain.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practice (EBP) is the integration of clinical expertise, patient values, and best research evidence into the decision-making process for patient care. Identification of barriers that refutes the use of EBP in day-to-day practice will go a long way in designing programs for inculcating EBP among physiotherapy students. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify perceived barriers to EBP among physiotherapy students. METHODS: A convenience sample of 429 participants were recruited from physiotherapy colleges affiliated to a State Health Science University as per the inclusion criteria. Participants were asked to fill the self-reported questionnaire that was developed by researchers based on possible items from previously developed surveys. Data collected were tabulated and analyzed by descriptive statistics. Response frequencies for the survey questions were determined and displayed in graphical formats. RESULTS: The study comprised of 182 final year students, 112 interns, and 135 postgraduate students having a mean age of 21.29 (0.85), 22.30 (0.77), and 24.34 (1.45) years, respectively. Majority of participants reported insufficient time, poor understanding of statistical analysis, lack of research skills, lack of formal training, lack of access to paid article, poor ability to critically appraise articles, and inadequate infrastructure facilities as barriers towards practicing EBP. CONCLUSION: Physiotherapy students perceived various organizational, training-related, and personal barriers toward the use of EBP. Effective education could prove to be the most powerful tool to overcome these barriers toward the use of EBP.

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Background Neck pain is one of the most frequently reported musculoskeletal complaints among adults; its prevalence in the world is ranging from 16.7 to 75.1%. It can have an impact on a person’s physical, psychological, and social well-being. Along with pain, disability, muscle weakness, and alterations in the posture, neck pain patients are likely to develop affection of the respiratory function as reported in numerous studies. However, these patients are primarily managed with a musculoskeletal perspective with little or no emphasis to the changes observed in the respiratory system. There is a paucity of literature evaluating the need for respiratory rehabilitation in these patients. Main body All relevant published literature related to respiratory dysfunction in patients with chronic neck pain were critically reviewed in this study. Patients having chronic neck pain were found to have alterations in respiratory function in terms of reduced lung volumes, reduced chest mobility, and decreased respiratory muscle strength. Various factors such as decreased cervical range of motion, decreased strength of deep neck flexors and extensors, forward head posture, and pain are known to cause these dysfunctions. Respiratory system intervention in the form of breathing re-education and respiratory exercises are significantly proven to improve treatment outcomes. Conclusion There is limited literature relating to respiratory dysfunction and its management in neck pain patients. Incorporation of both respiratory and musculoskeletal assessments can enhance their treatment outcomes. Additionally, it can be suggested to consider intervention in the form of respiratory rehabilitation while strategizing treatment goals for these patients.