title: Spinal posture in different DanceSport dance styles compared with track and field athletes.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  In DanceSport, athletes train for many years to develop a very specific posture. Presently there are few data as to whether these adaptations are habitual or cause permanent anatomical changes to the spine. The aim of the current study was to evaluate lumbar lordosis and thoracic kyphosis of the international level DanceSport dancers using track and field athletes as controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty competitive DanceSport couples (15 men aged 23.4±6.6 years; 15 women aged 22.5±6.4 years) and 29 track and field athletes (16 mean aged 27±4.4 years and 13 women aged 22±4.1 years) volunteered. Twelve couples were Standard, 7 Latin American and 11 were Ten Dance couples. Thoracic kyphosis and lumbar lordosis angle were assessed in lateral view using a Vertebral Fracture Assessment scan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  DanceSport athletes had smaller S-shaped vertebral curvatures compared to track and field athletes. Male (5.7±4.7°) and female dancers (8.7±5.9°) had significantly smaller lumbar lordosis angle compared to their track and field counterparts (22.3±9.9° for men; 20.3±5.9° for women). Female dancers (25.3±8.0°) also demonstrated significantly smaller thoracic kyphosis angle than female track and field (32.1±8.9°) participants. It was further revealed that female Latin American dancers had significantly smaller lumbar lordosis values (3.7±3.1°) compared with female Standard (10.7±6.1°) and Ten Dance dancers (9.7±5.5°).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of the present study suggest that smaller S-shaped vertebral curvatures of DanceSport athletes compared with track and field athletes are permanent changes rather than habitual.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia. Electronic address: helena.kruusamae@ut.ee.
authors.forename: Helena
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kruusamäe
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Katre
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maasalu
authors.affiliation: Research Centre for Sport, Exercise and Performance, University of Wolverhampton, Walsall, United Kingdom; National Institute of Dance Medicine and Science, The Old Finsbury, Town Hall, London, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wyon
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Toivo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Jürimäe
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Jarek
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mäestu
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mooses
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Exercise and Sport Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Jaak
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jürimäe
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D056352:Athletes; D003615:Dancing / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008159:Lumbar Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D011187:Posture; D013904:Thoracic Vertebrae / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology; D014142:Track and Field / Q000502:physiology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Ballroom dance; Lumbar lordosis; Spine; Sport; Thoracic kyphosis