Impact of a Therapeutic Dance Program Compared With Circuit Physiotherapy in Rehabilitation of Older People With Recent Acquired Brain Injury: A Randomized Controlled Feasibility Trial With Embedded Qualitative Assessment

Objective: To assess the feasibility of providing dance groups to people with recent acquired brain injuries (ABIs) in a hospital rehabilitation outpatient setting. 

Design: A mixed methods exploratory trial that included qualitative interviews and a single blind randomized controlled trial comparing 10 weeks (3 per wk: 30 sessions) of dance group to circuit group. 

Setting: A day rehabilitation outpatient setting in a tertiary hospital in South Australia. 

Participants: A total of 49 participants (N=49) with ABI consented and were randomly divided. 

Interventions: Patients were randomly divided to a 10-week program of either dance group (n=25) or physiotherapy circuit group (n=24). The intervention was completed by 84% of dance participants and 87% of physiotherapy circuit group participants. 

Main Outcome Measures: Primary outcome measure was health-related quality of life measured with Short Form-36. Secondary outcomes included a battery of assessments of balance, function, mobility, mood, and cognition. Feasibility outcomes included information on enrolment rates, attendance, participant satisfaction, and adverse events. 

Results: Physical outcomes were comparable between the 2 groups (with no adverse outcomes), but gains in the mental health component of quality of life measures were observed in the dance group only, including energy/fatigue and emotional well-being. Qualitative results indicated that participants found both dance and circuit groups enjoyable and acceptable. Participants offered that dance had complemented other aspects of their rehabilitation. 

Conclusions: Dance groups in rehabilitation outpatient settings appear a safe, feasible therapeutic option post ABI, with significant gains in health-related quality of life, mood, and fatigue measures. Findings support feasibility to progress to a larger cluster randomized controlled trial to assess cost effectiveness and implementation issues in rehabilitation services generally.