Neuromodulation in Professional Dancers

One-Shot Percutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation vs. Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation for Performance Flexor Hallucis Longus Muscle in Professional Dancers

Tendinopathy of the flexor hallucis longus (FHL), colloquially referred to as "dancer's tendinitis," is a common condition in dancers and attributed to high demand on this muscle in positions of extreme ankle plantarflexion and metatarsophalangeal (MTP) flexion and extension. Tradicional conservative treatment includes rest from pain-inducing activities including pointe work and jumping, physical therapy a focusing on movilization of the joints of the first ray and subtalar joint, and antiinflamatory medications. Unfortunately, dancer frecuently do not follow recommendations to rest due to the competitive nature of the field. Those who do not respond to conservative treatment undergo more serious interventions including steroid injections or surgery, each with additional risks and recovery time. To develop experimental protocols aimed at prevention and nonsurgical interventions are needed. Therefore, the aim of this study was To investigate the effects of one shot of low-frequency percutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (PENS) vs. one shot of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) in performance of the Flexor Hallucis Longus muscle in young dancers.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Female dancers
• Training at least twenty-five hours per week
• Pointe training at least five hours per week.

Exclusion Criteria:

• They had sustained an injury to their stance limb in the past year preventing dancing for at least 1 day
• Personal Psychological Apprehension Scale (PPAS) score >37.5
• Commonly accepted contraindications to invasive phsyiotherapist technique
• Any contraindications to needling per se.
• Commonly accepted contraindications to electrotherapy
• Epilepsy.