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March 6, 2026Complementary Therapies in Medicine0 citationsOpen Access

Effects of line dancing and flexibility training on chronic non-specific low back pain among college students: A randomized controlled trial

YQYujia QuEducation University of Hong Kong ZLZhiyuan LiuBeijing Normal University JLJiawei LiUniversity of Macau

Key Points

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of line dancing and flexibility training on chronic non-specific low back pain among college students.
Conducted a single-blind randomized controlled trial with 84 college students
Participants divided into line dancing-Baduanjin (LD-B), flexibility training (FT), and control groups
Each intervention lasted for 32 sessions, assessing pain intensity, functional disability, dynamic balance, and psychosocial factors before and after the intervention.
Applied statistical analysis to evaluate treatment outcomes and interaction effects.
Both LD-B and FT significantly reduced pain intensity and functional disability (p <.001).
FT showed superior improvements in dynamic balance compared to LD-B (p <.05).
LD-B led to greater enhancements in affective status and mental quality of life (p <.001, p =.001).
Social support increased significantly only in the LD-B group (p =.002).

Abstract

Chronic non-specific low back pain is increasingly common among young adults, yet optimal exercise interventions remain unclear. This study compared two therapies: line dancing–Baduanjin (LD-B), a culturally integrated aerobic exercise, and flexibility training (FT) targeting thoracic and hip mobility. We evaluated their biopsychosocial effects on college students to inform precision-based exercise strategies. A single-blind randomized controlled trial was conducted with 84 college students. Participants were assigned to LD-B ( n = 23), FT ( n = 24), or control ( n = 20) groups. LD-B and FT groups received 32 sessions. Various treatment outcomes (pain intensity, functional disability, and dynamic balance) and psychosocial outcomes (affective status, quality of life, and social support) were assessed before the intervention and after the 8-week intervention. Significant interaction effects were observed across all the outcomes ( p <.01). (1) Treatment outcomes: Both the LD-B and FT groups showed significant improvements in dynamic balance, pain intensity, and functional disability ( p <.001). Only dynamic balance favored FT over LD-B ( p <.05). (2) Psychosocial outcomes: LD-B demonstrated greater improvements in affective status ( p <.001) and mental component summary of quality of life ( p =.001), whereas FT improved the physical component summary ( p =.007). Social support increased significantly only in the LD-B group ( p =.002). This study demonstrated that both LD-B and FT effectively improved chronic non-specific low back pain among college students. Crucially, while equally alleviating pain intensity and functional disability, LD-B uniquely enhanced psychosocial well-being, whereas FT resulted in superior gains in balance function. LD-B’s distinct efficacy positions it as a cost-effective, group-based intervention warranting integration into health initiatives for chronic non-specific low back pain management. • Line dancing and flexibility training both reduced pain and functional disability in CNLBP college students • Line dancing improved affective status, mental component summary, and social support significantly. • Flexibility training enhanced dynamic balance and physical component summary significantly. • Line dancing offers a cost-effective, group-based psychosocial intervention • First RCT to compare line dancing and flexibility training for biopsychosocial CNLBP outcomes

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