Osteopathic Manipulative Techniques in Collegiate Dancers

NCT ID: NCT06858592

Last Updated: 2025-03-05

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 15 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-02-01
• Study Completion Date: 2025-02-22

Brief Summary

The goal of this study is to determine how these techniques affect pain levels, movement quality, and balance. Osteopathic Manipulative Techniques, or OMT, is a type of treatment used to treat problems in the bones, muscles, tissues, and joints. The investigators would like to ask the participants to fill out a few questionnaires about their personal history, dance background, pain levels, and movement quality. All participant responses will be completely anonymous, and participants are allowed to refuse to answer any part of the survey. The investigators would also ask participants to complete a balance assessment, which will involve standing on a force plate with their eyes open and closed for 30 seconds each. The initial survey and questionnaires, balance assessment, OMT, and post-practice survey are expected to take about 60 minutes. Each additional survey given after 24-hours and one week will take about 20 minutes each. The follow-up balance test after one week is expected to take less than 5 minutes. Participation in this study would be immensely valuable for us to learn more about the benefits of treating dancers with osteopathic manipulative medicine.

Detailed Description

Many dancers base their identities and self-worth on being able to train, rehearse, and perform. Because of this, dancers are more likely to ignore any pain or discomfort and continue dancing, despite the risk of worsening pain or injuries. Injuries are very common in dancers due to repetitive motions, overuse of muscles and joints, improper technique, acute injuries, or energy balance deficits. The most common areas of pain and injury seen in dancers include the hips, knees, ankles, feet, and lumbar spine. While many current treatments are available for dance-related pain and injuries, many of them involve rest and time off from dancing, which many dancers are not willing to do. Although Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT) is not a substitute for rehabilitation and other treatments necessary for injuries, it may enhance their recovery time and prevent future injuries. This study aims to examine the significance of utilizing OMT to decrease dancers' performance-related pain, increase dancers' movement quality, and increase dancers' balance. OMT is the manipulation of the musculoskeletal system to assist the body in healing and strengthening itself while encouraging resistance to future stressors. Athletes, such as dancers, may find OMT beneficial for decreasing their pain, improving their range of motion, and preventing future injuries. Other athletes have reported satisfaction with OMT modalities in decreasing their injury-related pain and stress, decreasing their need for pain medications, and enhancing their recovery and return to activity. The purpose of this pilot study is to assess dancers' perceived performance-related pain, movement quality, and balance before and after OMT in the regions of the lumbar spine, hips, knees, ankles, and/or feet. Additionally, this study will collect data on the dancers' self-identity in relation to their role as athletes and potential risk factors for disordered eating. Future goals include conducting a larger study to treat and prevent dance-related injuries. Dancers from the University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) dance team will be recruited to participate in this study. All dancers who choose to participate will be in the experimental group, there will not be a control group. Dancers will complete a survey and questionnaires to provide demographic information, their medical history, dance background, attitudes towards eating, ways in which they identify as an athlete, performance-related pain levels, and perceived movement quality and function while dancing. Dancers will also complete two 30-second balance tests with their eyes open and closed. Following completion of these forms and tests, dancers will be screened for somatic dysfunction(s) and treated appropriately by a medical student from the Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine - Louisiana (VCOM) and a supervising physician. After treatment, dancers will attend their practice as normal. Following this, study participants will be re-evaluated immediately after the dance practice, 24 hours later, and one week later. The results of this study may be utilized to write a paper, create a poster presentation, and support a larger study in the future. Significant results would be beneficial in the field of sports medicine to help guide appropriate treatment in dancers and provide more treatment options to allow them to continue dancing.

Conditions

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT); Dance Therapy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: TREATMENT
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Treatment Population

This pilot study will collect data from, diagnose, treat, and reassess dancers on the ULM dance team. They will be asked to complete multiple questionnaires and a survey to determine their medical history, dance background, and mental health. The Multidimensional Pain Questionnaire in Professional Dance (MPQDA) will be used to collect dancer demographics, history, and performance-related pain levels. The Dance Functional Outcome Survey (DFOS) will collect data on the dancers' areas of pain and perceived movement quality and function while performing. Then, the dancer will be treated for 15 minutes using OMT by the osteopathic medical student and supervising physician beginning with the area of greatest restriction within the lower body, including the lumbar spine, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Following diagnosis and treatment, dancers will attend a dance practice, and be re-evaluated immediately afterward. After 24 hours, dancers will be evaluated again with the force plate.

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Dancers will then individually be screened for somatic dysfunctions (SD) by a physician and VCOM OMS-III student doctor under their direct supervision. OMS-III student investigators will receive training and be assessed on their abilities before performing OMT on subjects. This will take place at the dancers' place of practice in a private area equipped with an OMM table. The areas to be screened include the lumbar spine, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. All diagnoses in these areas will be documented with specific notation for the area of greatest restriction on paper. After making a diagnosis or multiple diagnoses, the dancer will be treated utilizing OMT for 15 minutes starting with the area of greatest restriction in the lower body by the OMS-III student doctor under direct supervision of a physician, should an adverse event take place. The type of treatment(s) used will be at the discretion of the supervising physician and the VCOM student doctor. They may use any OMT technique, exc

Interventions

Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment (OMT)

Dancers will then individually be screened for somatic dysfunctions (SD) by a physician and VCOM OMS-III student doctor under their direct supervision. OMS-III student investigators will receive training and be assessed on their abilities before performing OMT on subjects. This will take place at the dancers' place of practice in a private area equipped with an OMM table. The areas to be screened include the lumbar spine, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. All diagnoses in these areas will be documented with specific notation for the area of greatest restriction on paper. After making a diagnosis or multiple diagnoses, the dancer will be treated utilizing OMT for 15 minutes starting with the area of greatest restriction in the lower body by the OMS-III student doctor under direct supervision of a physician, should an adverse event take place. The type of treatment(s) used will be at the discretion of the supervising physician and the VCOM student doctor. They may use any OMT technique, exc

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Members of the ULM dance team (HawkLine)

Exclusion Criteria

• Non-competitive members of the team, those injured and those that opt out of the study.

• Eligible Sex: FEMALE
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

University of Louisiana Monroe

OTHER

Sponsor Role: collaborator

Edward Via Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Stephanie N Aldret, DO, CAQSM, FAOASM

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Locations

Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine

Monroe, Louisiana, United States

Countries

United States

References

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Ofei-Dodoo S, Black JL, Kirkover MA, Lisenby CB, Porter AST, Cleland PM. Collegiate Athletes' Perceptions of Osteopathic Manipulative Treatment. Kans J Med. 2020 Jun 25;13:147-151. eCollection 2020.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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2. Malkogeorgos, A., Mavrovouniotis, F., Zaggelidis, G., & Ciucurel, C. (2011). Common dance related musculoskeletal injuries. Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 11(3).

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

Benardot D. Nutritional Concerns for the Artistic Athlete. Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2021 Feb;32(1):51-64. doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2020.09.008. Epub 2020 Oct 29.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

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Other Identifiers

2024-181

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id