A scoping systematic review of dance application as a rehabilitation tool in adults and older individuals with neurological diseases

Abstract

Purpose

The implementation of dance during rehabilitation can generate motivation and patient engagement. The compilation about dance style, type of neurological disease, functional profile, and outcomes may facilitate the understanding of dance applications in neurofunctional rehabilitation scenario. Therefore, this review mapped the studies on dance in neurological rehabilitation.

Materials and methods

Based on Joanna Briggs Institute methodology, this scoping review addressed dance in rehabilitation in various in- and out-of-hospital environments. The search was conducted between December 2021 and July 2022 on MEDLINE/PubMed®, Cochrane Library, PEDro, Scopus, CINAHL, Web of Science, Science Direct, and Springer, with a three-step analysis and categorization of the studies: pre-analysis, exploration of the material, and data processing.

Results

On a total of 2,256 studies identified, 62 were included. The number of publications in the last two decades were: 1980–1989 (n = 2 studies); 1990–1999 (n = 1); 2000–2009 (n = 4); 2010–2019 (n = 41), and from 2020 (n = 16). Dancers were predominant in older (n = 42) and female (n = 599) individuals, compared to younger (n = 20) and male (n = 589) individuals, respectively. They included ballroom dancing (n = 24), Argentine or Adapted Tango (n = 20), aerobic dance (n = 9), and ballet (n = 8). The predominant neurological conditions were Parkinson’s disease (n = 40), stroke (n = 7), intellectual disability (n = 4), multiple sclerosis (n = 4), dementia or cognitive disabilities (n = 3). The predominant outcomes were balance and gait analysis, cognitive functions, motor coordination, psychological symptoms, and quality of life.

Conclusion

The application of dance in neurological rehabilitation has increased over the last two decades, with an emphasis on ballroom dancing, Argentine tango, and classical ballet in Parkinson’s disease (PD).

Keywords:

• Dance
• rehabilitation
• neurological diseases
• scoping review
• functionality

Acknowledgments

No specific funding was received from any bodies in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors to carry out the work described in this article.

Disclosure statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Data availability statement

The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.