Test

Abstract

Background: Dance and dancers reflect happiness, sadness, passion, anger, and all other emotions as every single dancing movement carries a significant signal that goes beyond words. Kathak, an Indian classical dance form, requires a divine balance between the soul and the physical body. This balance allows for a high pain tolerance of the dancers, but the spiritual nature of this dance form also generates ignorance and disinterest in their health seeking behavior towards injuries.

Objectives: This comprehensive narrative review is aimed at exploring and examining the prevalence of lower extremity musculoskeletal injuries among Kathak dancers and proposes management strategies for their prevention and treatment.

Methods: This review is based on a search of relevant articles, research papers, books and book chapters conducted across a wide array of online sources, utilizing the search engines like PubMed, Medline, CrossRef; etc. Considering the inclusion criterion, the review process included three stages: initial assessment of papers through title and abstract review, a detailed examination of relevant items, and systematic compilation of pertinent information into a categorized table under topical headings.

Results: The review finds that the majority of injuries were reported in the foot and ankle region of dancers practicing Kathak.

Conclusion: There is a need to develop supplementary exercise training programs and also spread awareness among dancers regarding their physical health and seeking medical care in time to delay/prevent lower extremity injuries.

Soulful Rhythm, Dancing Bodies: Spirituality, Pain Tolerance, and the Risk of Lower Extremity Musculoskeletal Injuries Among Classical Kathak Dancers of India

Secular trends in anthropometric characteristics and their associations with external skeletal robustness among Slovenian young adults’ population Secular trends in anthropometric characteristics

Objectives: To determine secular trends in body height, fat-mass, fat-free mass, and external skeletal robustness in young adults and examine possible relationship between them.

Methods: Anthropometric data (body height, body mass; skinfold thickness (SFT) – triceps, abdominal, thigh; circumferences (C) – waist, upper arm, thigh; width – elbow, knee) of young adults aged 20-25 years (N = 5303; males 1985, females 3318) were used from the Slovenian (data)Base of Anthropometric Measurements from 1960 to 2023. Multiple linear regressions were performed. 

Results: The most significant positive secular trends (p < 0.000) were observed in males for abdominal SFT (B = 0.151, R² = 0.169) and thigh SFT (B = 0.131, R² = 0.142). In females, similar trend was observed in waist C (B = 0.151; R² = 0.169). The most significant negative secular trend (p < 0.001) was observed in muscle area of lower limbs in both sexes (males: B = - 0.427, R² = 0.000; females: B = - 0.875, R² = 0.300). Body height and overall body mass were the most important factors influencing the observed decline in external skeletal robustness assessed with frame index according to elbow and knee width according to multiple linear regression.

Conclusion: Over the last 60 years, a positive secular trend was observed in body height and body fat, while a negative trend was noted in muscle mass. Increases in body height and overall body mass had the most significant impact on the observed decrease in assessed external skeletal robustness over time.

Health endangering overweight in preschool children Relationship between body composition and physical fitness 

Background: Body mass index (BMI) is the dominant diagnostic parameter for obesity, but its suitability is controversial. Physical fitness (PF) can be used as an indicator for unhealthy body composition.

Objectives: To characterize groups of overweight children via different anthropometric parameters and their respective PF.

Sample and Methods: Anthropometric measurements (BMI, waist circumference (WC), skinfold thickness (SF), mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) were assessed in 147 preschool children (age 4.7 ± 1.8 years) at 12 German Kindergartens. Measurements were related to a field battery for PF, assessing musculoskeletal fitness and motor fitness.  

Results: All anthropometric measurements characterize different children as overweight, only four children are classified as overweight by all measurements. Children with elevated triceps SF alone or in combination with high subscapular SF or WC but not BMI showed lower PF compared with non-overweight children (long jump (p < 0.001), high jump (p = 0.002), shuttle run (p = 0.032)).

Conclusions: Triceps SF measuring peripheral fat mass alone and in combination with parameters of central fat might be an effective method to detect poor PF indicating health impairing overweight in 3- to 6-year-old children while preventive examinations should not be placed exclusively on the BMI.