STRENGTH ASSESSMENT IN FEMALE POLE DANCERS: DEVELOPMENT AND RELIABILITY OF A NEW FUNCTIONAL PROTOCOL

D. Ignatoglou^1,2, A. Paliouras¹, P. Bilika¹, E. Kapreli¹

¹University of Thessaly, Physiotherapy Department, Lamia, Greece, ²PhysioExperts Physiotherapy Centre, N. Moudania, Greece

Background: Pole dancing is a very demanding sport that combines dancing and acrobatic figures around a vertical pole. Despite its popularity among sports, research around it is very limited providing mainly epidemiological information and some evidence around physiological responses and physical benefits. Hence, while dealing with these athletes for both injury prevention and rehabilitation purposes, assessing their strength in a consistent and reproducible way is still a challenge.

Purpose: To create a strength assessment protocol using functional positions and examine its intra-rater reliability.

Methods: A sample of convenience consisting of 32 volunteer female athletes was used. All participants were practicing the sport for more than six months but had different levels of experience. In order to be eligible for participation, athletes had to present with no history of pain, injury or surgery at the assessment site and non-of the them to be in the menstruation phase of cycle. The athletes were assessed while being on 3 of the basic pole dancing grip-positions which included shoulder abduction, shoulder adduction and hip adduction. The measurement procedure included three trials for both sides in all the three positions. The duration of each trial was set to be five seconds, followed by a three minute break. A five-minute warm up and a familiarization trial of submaximal intensity were always executed before the official measurements. Measurements were repeated after an interval of five to seven days. The hand held dynamometer used for the measurements (Activ5, ActivBody) was stabilized with straps on the pole. The position of the dynamometer was adjusted every time according to the somatometric needs of the participant as well as the requirements of every grip-position that was assessed.

Results: The mean age of the athletes was 29,3 ± 5,9 years with a BMI score of 21,4 ± 1,3. Reliability was established by comparing:
a) directly all the three measurements between the two days,
b) the means of the three trials between the two days and
c) the latter two trials of the three performed directly between them for the two days.
The results revealed high reliability rates (ICC= 0,833-0,974; shoulder abduction SEM: 1,93-3,17; SDD: 16,63-23,25; shoulder adduction SEM: 2,24-3,04; SDD: 15,01-23,61; hip adduction SEM: 3,17-7,62; SDD: 14,92-36,61). The three trial means method presented the higher rates between the comparisons done (ICC= 0,939- 0,974) while the position with the more consistently repeated results was the abduction of left shoulder.

Conclusions: This was the first study to develop a functional protocol to assess strength in female pole dancers. The results suggest this to be a reliable strength assessment protocol when assessing pole dancers in clinical practice considering its affordable and easily applicable equipment.

Implications: Inter-rater reliability was not assessed as part of this study. Additionally, further research including more positions and a sample consisting of both males and females would make the results more generalizable to the pole dancing athlete population.

Funding acknowledgements: No funding was received for this study.

Keywords:
Pole dancing
Strength
Reliability

Topics:
Sport & sports injuries

Did this work require ethics approval? Yes

Institution: University of Thessaly

Committee: Committee for Research Ethics, Physiotherapy Department

Ethics number: 645/9-9-2021