As festival season draws to a close, we reflect on happier times. Jorts and cowboy boots, making new friends in mosh pits, dirt in the air, your hair and everywhere else. What a time to be alive.
Along with the memories, a lot of festival-goers return to their regular schedules with lingering back pain from their single- to multi-day festival attendance. This back pain has now been coined the term “disco back”, but what is it about boogying in the dirt for a few days that leaves us with this unwanted ailment? While we currently have no researchers directly studying the experiences of ravers, alternative research may help explain why this new phenomenon is becoming all too common for Australian young adults.
In the world of dance, back pain is prevalent, with no discrimination between ability or dance styles. Studies indicate that upwards of 80% of dancers have experienced lower back pain episodes at some point in their lives or dance careers (Henn et al., 2022). 74% of professional and pre-professional dancers have experienced back pain within their lifetime (Swain et al., 2017), while casual dancers who train a minimum of once per week sit at 83%, with lifestyle factors of work and smoking increasing their likelihood (Imhof et al., 2025).
Usually, at a rave or festival, we’re not quite busting the moves that the professionals are doing, or even performing the same movements usually seen in a casual dance class, so why would dance class and training be relevant to disco back? Most of these studies indicate that repetitive movements lead to strain and injury of the back in the dance setting, which is similar to the movement we see at raves and festivals. Bouncing and twisting continuously can add repetitive load to the lower back, especially when we remain in extended positions like in standing. For those of us that frequent the dance tent and warehouse settings, you can be bopping in standing for hours at a time.
So, can we prevent this new phenomenon? Without retirement from “the sesh”, completely avoiding post-festival back pain or spasm may be difficult, but there are a few things that may help. Studies have found that a key contributor to lower back pain is poor core stabilisation and endurance.
In collegiate athletes, there was a correlation between lower core endurance scores, such as held plank time, with higher results on the Micheli Functional Scale, which measures patient-perceived disability and effect of lower back pain (Abdelraouf & Abdel-Aziem, 2016). This study shows us how reduced core strength and endurance can result in pain for high-level athletes; therefore, athletes of the electronic dance music scene would also benefit from some core strengthening. Activities such as Pilates, where core-specific exercises are performed with a focus on endurance, have been found to reduce back pain outcomes (Sulaimen et al., 2023). If you’re not keen on Pilates, adding in some core endurance training two-three times per week will have positive benefits.
Another strategy to prime the spine for long hours of boogying is incorporating range of motion exercises. Research has found that yoga-style workouts improve disability scores for men and women experiencing lower back pain by improving spinal mobility (Tekur et al., 2012). Factoring in some downward dog and cobra stretches to your week, and even before, during, and after a long disco session will be beneficial for reducing pain severity and length. If a deep meditative yoga flow isn’t your style, some basic roll-downs to touch your toes (or reach for them) and overhead reaching with side-to-side leans will also make a difference for the blow-up mattress slept on, 2-hour rested, 5-hour danced-on back.
If you’re dealing with ‘disco back’ symptoms, want core‑strength ideas, or need personalised advice, call us on 9439 6776 to book an initial assessment.
This blog was written by Kessia Bowen, Physiotherapist at Back In Motion Eltham.
Back In Motion Eltham
1/256 Bolton St, Eltham VIC 3095
(03) 9439 6776
References:
- Abdelraouf, O. R., & Abdel-Aziem, A. A. (2016). THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CORE ENDURANCE AND BACK DYSFUNCTION IN COLLEGIATE MALE ATHLETES WITH AND WITHOUT NONSPECIFIC LOW BACK PAIN. International journal of sports physical therapy, 11(3), 337–344.
- Henn, E. D., Smith, T., Ambegaonkar, J. P., & Wyon, M. A. (2022). Perceived Severity and Management of Low Back Pain in Adult Dancers in the United States. Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 26(3), 173–180. https://doi.org/10.12678/1089-313X.091522d
- Imhof, R., Fischer, T., & Becker, D. (2025). Low Back Pain and Dance: A quantitative Analysis. Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 1089313X251345943. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/1089313X251345943
- Sulaiman, M. L., Kotteeswaran, K., & Kumar, S. (2023). Efficacy of core muscle stabilization in chronic nonspecific low back pain patients: A systematic review. INTI Journal, 2023. https://iuojs.intimal.edu.my/index.php/intijournal/article/view/104
- Swain, C. T. V., Bradshaw, E. J., Whyte, D. G., & Ekegren, C. L. (2017). Life history and point prevalence of low back pain in pre-professional and professional dancers. Physical therapy in sport : official journal of the Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Sports Medicine, 25, 34–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ptsp.2017.01.005
- Tekur P.Nagarathna R.Chametcha S.Hankey A.Nagendra H. R. (2012). A comprehensive yoga programs improves pain, anxiety and depression in chronic low back pain patients more than exercise: an RCT. Complement. Ther. Med.20, 107–118. 10.1016/j.ctim.2011.12.009