Abdominal muscle endurance in trained bharatanatyam dancers

Bharatanatyam is a popular classical and traditional dance of India. The dance’s postures and repetitive movements may affect loading on the spine. This study was undertaken to establish the relationship between the lumbar spine and pelvic tilt on abdominal muscle endurance in Bharatanatyam dancers. A secondary aim was to determine the effect of other recreational activities on these variables. We assessed 35 trained Bharatanatyam dancers, aged between 18 to 35 yr, who had at least 3 yr of training. Lumbar curvature and pelvic tilt were measured using a bubble inclinometer and palpation meter (PALM), respectively, and abdominal muscle endurance was tested using McGill’s core-endurance test. Spearman’s coefficient of correlation was used to determine relationships between variables. Mean lumbar curvature measured 48.00 ± 8.5, right pelvic tilt 10.83 ± 4.9, and left pelvic tilt 11.20 ± 4.8 degrees. The hold time that dancers could perform in McGill’s core-endurance test was 360 (225–257), 33 (16–55), 21 (18–34), and 24 (17– 34) s for flexor, extensor, right lateral, and left lateral test, respectively. No significant correlation was found between the three variables tested: lumbar curvature, pelvic tilt, and abdominal muscle endurance. The left lateral endurance test was significantly different (p = 0.04) in Bharatanatyam dancers who were involved in other recreational activities such as sports and yoga compared to those who were not involved in these activities.