Eur J Musculoskel Dis 2025 Sep-Dec;14(3):141-147
OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
WATER-BASED BIODANZA AS A MULTISENSORY STIMULATION IN THE MANAGEMENT OF CHRONIC PAIN: A PILOT OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
G. Barassi1, V. De Carolis1, A. Younes1, L. Prosperi1, C. Di Matteo1, C. Mariani1, G. Pasetti2, L. Buzzelli2, C. Candita3 and P.E. Gallenga1
1 Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Re-Education (Ce.Fi.R.R.), Venue “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy;
2 Social Promotion Association “Spazio Donna Abruzzo”, Pescara, Italy;
3 Department of Innovative Technologies in Medicine & Dentistry, “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara, Chieti, Italy.
*Correspondence to:
Loris Prosperi,
Center for Physiotherapy, Rehabilitation and Re-Education (Ce.Fi.R.R.) venue “G. d’Annunzio” University of Chieti-Pescara,
Chieti 66013, Italy.
e-mail: cefirr.ricerca@gmail.com
| Received: 16 September, 2025 Accepted: 31 October, 2025
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ISSN 2975-044X (online) ISSN 2038-4106 (print) Copyright © by BIOLIFE 2025 This publication and/or article is for individual use only and may not be further reproduced without written permission from the copyright holder. Unauthorized reproduction may result in financial and other penalties. Disclosure: All authors report no conflicts of interest relevant to this article. |
ABSTRACT
Chronic pain (CP) is a condition characterized by persistent pain in one or more parts of the body, which can take on very disabling characteristics of intensity and intrusiveness. Its management is multidisciplinary, and among the various therapeutic and re-educational tools, adapted physical activity, including artistic forms such as dance, appears to yield positive results for CP. However, research in this area is still limited, and the most appropriate forms of therapeutic dance for this condition need to be identified. This single-arm pilot study aims to preliminary evaluate the effectiveness of water-based Biodanza (BD), a dance approach that integrates multisensory stimulations of a motor and psycho-emotional nature in an aquatic environment, in the management of CP. A group of 10 CP women (mean age 58 ± 12 years) was enrolled after medical examination and observed while undergoing treatment with water-based BD. Practitioners underwent water-based BD sessions 1 time a week for 10 weeks, with each session lasting around 1 hour and 30 minutes. They were evaluated before the start of the protocol (T0) and after the end of it (T1) through the Numeric Pain Rating Scale, Digitized Bio-Metric Assessment and Safe Bead Balance postural assessment. The statistical analysis, in relation to the observed variations in the parameters considered, highlighted mixed levels of statistical significance, varying from high to null, but generally characterized by a high clinical relevance by virtue of moderate to large effect sizes. The water-based BD approach might be a safe and valid support for women affected by CP but further studies are necessary to deepen the validity of the approach.
KEYWORDS: Chronic pain, posture, proprioception, dancing, dance therapy, rehabilitation
