Back Pain Isn’t Always About The Back
Back pain can feel huge. For many dancers and teachers, it becomes part of daily life — that constant ache that never seems to fully go away.
But here’s something that might surprise you: sometimes that “huge” problem isn’t actually coming from the back at all.
Pain can take center stage, but the real story might be happening quietly in the wings — and sometimes, that story starts with how the brain controls eye movements.
Wait… What Do the Eyes Have to Do with the Low Back?
A lot, actually.
Our eyes are one of the primary systems the brain uses to understand where we are in space. When the visual system isn’t giving accurate or efficient information, the brain can interpret the world as less safe — and that triggers protective tension, often in the core and low back.
Think about the last time you got up in the middle of the night without turning on a light. You probably moved more cautiously, took shorter steps, maybe even felt your shoulders and back tighten a bit. That’s your brain saying, “I can’t see clearly — let’s stabilize!”
When the eyes aren’t tracking smoothly or coordinating well, the same thing can happen during dance. The brain increases tension in the low back and core as a way to “hold things together.”
The Science Behind It
Research has shown that people with chronic low back pain often have issues with something called oculomotor control — the brain’s control of eye movements.
There are a few key types of eye movements we rely on all the time in dance:
Smooth pursuits: Tracking a moving object with your eyes while keeping your head still (like watching your reflection move in the mirror).
Saccades: Quick jumps from one focal point to another (like shifting your gaze from your reflection to the teacher and back).
Convergence and divergence: Moving the eyes inward or outward as you focus on something close (like your hand in front of you) or far away (like the studio clock).
When any of these eye movement patterns are uncoordinated, delayed, or jerky, the brain has to work harder to stabilize the body. One of the first places it does that? The low back.
What This Means in the Studio
If you have a dancer who constantly complains of low back tension — despite good technique and plenty of core work — it might be worth looking at their visual system.
Here’s a simple way to start exploring:
Observe smooth pursuits. Have them hold their head still and follow your finger or a pen as you move it slowly side-to-side or up-and-down.
Watch their eyes. Do they jump ahead or fall behind? Do they look jerky instead of smooth?
If you gently rest your hand on their lower back, you may even feel it tighten as their visual demand increases.
That’s a signal that the brain is linking vision and stability — and the low back is doing the job of “holding on” for safety.
A New Perspective on Training
As dance educators, we spend a lot of time strengthening the back, stretching the hips, and refining posture. All of that matters — but sometimes, the missing piece is upstream in the brain.
When we help dancers improve how their eyes move and focus, we can reduce unnecessary protective tension. That means:
✅ Less chronic tightness or soreness in the low back
✅ Better postural control
✅ Easier transitions and smoother movement
✅ A calmer nervous system overall
Try This
Before class, have your dancers test a simple movement — maybe a forward bend or a cambré back. Then have them do 10–15 seconds of slow, smooth eye tracking side to side, keeping the head still. Retest the movement.
You might be surprised at how much freer and lighter it feels.
The Takeaway
The eyes are deeply connected to the spine — and especially the low back — through the brain’s balance and postural control systems.
So next time you see a dancer struggling with persistent low back tension, remember: it might not be about the back itself. Sometimes, the solution starts with training the brain — and that means training the eyes.
To your success,
Deborah .