A questionnaire concerning symptoms of low back pain was completed by 163 professional classical ballet dancers (female: 123, male: 40). While the average number of stage performances was greater in male dancers (34 times) than in female dancers (12 times), the incidence of low back pain was approximately 90% in both sexes. Fifty-five percent of males and 38% of females reported experiencing pain that impaired their training exercises or stage performances. Among them 24% of males and 12% of females were unable to dance on occasions, but only 10% of the dancers sought medical care for their low back pain. Thirty percent of males reported lifting their female partner induced low back pain, while 30% of females attributed it to lumber extension. These results demonstrate that male dancers suffer from more serious low back pain, whose causes may be related to the quantity or severity of exercise.
