Comparing musculoskeletal pain and postural risk assessment in Bharatnatyam and Kathak dancers

Background: Bharatnatyam and Kathak are Indian classical dance forms that require prolonged duration and high intensity of training. The dancers are prone to musculoskeletal injuries due to repetitive rehearsals. The present study is aimed to compare both Bharatnatyam and Kathak dancers' musculoskeletal pain and postural risk factors by using Numerical Pain Rating (NPRS) and Rapid Entire Body Assessment (REBA) scales. The study hypothesized that either Bharatnatyam or Kathak have more musculoskeletal pain and postural risk due to dance.Methodology: 212 (106 each group) Bharatnatyam and Kathak dancers were included as per the selection criteria. They were asked to fill out the NPRS and REBA scales. All the data was collected and statistically analyzed.Results: The mean and standard deviation of the NPRS and REBA scores were 3.2±2.12 and 7.59±1.38 for Bharatnatyam dancers, while for Kathak dancers, they were 3.4±2.32 and 7.58±1.06, respectively. After applying an unpaired t-test for both NPRS and REBA scores the p-values are 0.51 and 0.95 respectively showing that both values are not significant at a 95% confidence interval.Conclusion: Both dance styles experience musculoskeletal pain and postural risks, yet neither group demonstrates a greater prevalence of these issues than the other.