Physiotherapists use dance in their clinical practice in creative and diverse ways.

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate how physiotherapists use dance in clinical practice.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study of Canadian physiotherapists with a web-based questionnaire distributed via social media and professional and healthcare organizations. Responses were analyzed with descriptive statistics and descriptive content analysis.

Results: Of the 81 respondents included in the analysis, 36 (44%) had used dance in practice, while 45 (56%) had not. Respondents were more likely to have used dance in practice if they had formal dance experience (X² (1, n = 81) = 3.73, p = .044). The rationale for implementing dance included improving physical, psychosocial, and cognitive outcomes. Common barriers were clinician inexperience and insufficient resources, while a common concern about using dance was that they may not be taken seriously.

Conclusion: Canadian physiotherapists used dance clinically in more diverse ways than reported in the scientific literature. Future work should evaluate these specific dance interventions and inform the development of clinical practice guidelines.