| Disclaimer - This article is being provided for general | | | | that I described in the 4 earlier scenarios. These |
| information only. It is not designed to take the place | | | | scenarios need to be honored for their potential to |
| of a qualified medical opinion. | | | | spiral into more debilitating problems. |
| How do we distinguish between an injury and the | | | | Chronic injuries are more challenging and sometimes |
| normal wear and tear signs of being a dancer? It's a | | | | frustrating to work with, especially if you are in a |
| question that dancers and dance teachers face on a | | | | performance situation that demands a certain |
| daily basis. We have to constantly evaluate our | | | | workload or a demanding schedule that is hard to |
| body's messages and make choices about whether | | | | change. This is when having individualized guidance |
| to rest or to keep going. | | | | from a dance medicine specialist is important. Over |
| When in doubt, seek the advice of a qualified medical | | | | time you will begin to see patterns in how your body |
| practitioner. You'll want to error on the side of | | | | feels and be able to more quickly head off strains |
| caution if you have any questions on how to treat a | | | | and injuries. |
| potential injury. We must teach our dancers to trust | | | | The first step, one of listening carefully to your body, |
| their body's messages and that takes time and | | | | honestly and with compassion, (not in a paranoid or |
| experience. | | | | hypochondriac fashion), will both help you become a |
| Here are some guidelines that you can use to help | | | | better dancer and/or a better teacher. If you notice |
| evaluate whether you are dealing with an injury. | | | | recurrent patterns of strain or feel the same type of |
| Four Warning Signs of an Injury | | | | pain in an area while doing different types of |
| 1. Pain gets progressively worse during class, | | | | movement, write them down. Keep a notebook |
| rehearsal, working out, etc. | | | | handy to jot down which movements provoke a |
| 2. Pain that comes after your class, rehearsal working | | | | painful response. See if you can find any similarities |
| out, etc and comes back the next day after even | | | | between the movements to determine a cause. Are |
| less movement is done. | | | | you consistently getting injured in performance |
| 3. Pain that appears when executing certain | | | | season? Is the choreography you are dancing |
| movements (e.g. during arabesque or landing a jump). | | | | repeating the same or similar movements on one side |
| 4. No real sense of "pain" but a definite restriction of | | | | of your body? Are you demonstrating the same side |
| movement. | | | | all the time when teaching? Ask your teacher or |
| Handling an Injury | | | | another professional to watch you execute those |
| If the injury is acute and you can pinpoint the event | | | | movements and see if they can see a compensation |
| that triggered it - you landed on a sickled foot, you | | | | you may be making that could be causing the pain. If |
| fell out of a leap, your partner elbowed your ribcage, | | | | you can't find a pain free adjustment to the |
| you felt something snap, and you have instant | | | | movement on your own, see a dance medicine |
| discoloration etc - apply ice, stop moving, and get | | | | specialist and bring your notes with you. The more |
| thee to a doctor. If your injury doesn't fall into a | | | | complete of a picture you can provide, the more |
| similarly acute category, the following information | | | | helpful the evaluation will be. Don't deny what your |
| applies to you. | | | | body's experience is. The goal is to learn how to |
| How an injury feels when moving can tell you a lot. If | | | | evaluate and work with your own unique set of |
| going back to class helps it feel a little better and you | | | | kinesthetic feedback. Your teachers can provide |
| feel less sore, great. Just remember to respect your | | | | guidance, but ultimately, it is the dancer that is in |
| body's limits during class until you are feeling 100 %. | | | | charge of creating the necessary changes to dance |
| If moving irritates it or makes it worse, get smart. | | | | effortlessly and gracefully, without creating pain or |
| Most injuries can be short circuited in the early stages | | | | damaging the physical structures of the body. |
| if respected. Dancers, in general, have a high pain | | | | It can be challenging for dancers to admit that |
| tolerance and need to be given permission to take | | | | chronic problems can easily turn into acute ones. |
| care of themselves by sometimes taking off from | | | | Generally, acute injuries are obvious ones, if you |
| class, sleeping, getting a massage, or one of the | | | | rupture your achille tendon; you are not going to get |
| many other requests that your body may be asking | | | | up off the floor and dance. If you have achilles |
| of you. | | | | tendonitis you may still be able to dance (although |
| Sometimes a dancer will begin to feel chronic pain in | | | | probably not at 100% capacity) - but if you aren't |
| either the muscles or a joint. Typically, when chronic | | | | careful with your rehab - run the risk of rupturing it. |
| pain is felt in the muscles it is caused by excessive | | | | Other examples of acute injuries might be tendon |
| tension. This tension is generally caused by skeletal | | | | ruptures, dislocations (patella and shoulders generally), |
| displacement (poor alignment) and the result is the | | | | and ligament sprains or inflamed bursas. Sometimes |
| muscles must work constantly to both move you | | | | acute injuries come from overuse injuries that have |
| and support you. In the joint, chronic pain often | | | | not been rehabilitated appropriately. For example, a |
| happens because of a constant irritation that can be | | | | stress fracture is considered an overuse injury |
| caused by muscular tension, or a mechanical | | | | because it can take a period of time for the stress |
| misalignment within the joints. (Again, poor alignment) | | | | fracture to develop, but is absolutely an acute injury |
| As all dancers know, your alignment means | | | | that needs attention once it has been diagnosed by a |
| everything to how efficiently and injury free you can | | | | medical practitioner. I have seen cases of Achilles |
| move! | | | | tendonitis turn into shin splints, which turned into a |
| Dance injuries often start in small ways. They sneak | | | | chronic knee or hip problem because the original |
| up on you. Most dancers with chronic injuries aren't | | | | tendonitis was not cared for properly. |
| the ones who sprained their ankle as they were | | | | The bottom line is both the acute and overuse |
| lowered from a lift, the cause of their injury is more | | | | injuries are injuries and should be treated as such! Pay |
| difficult to decipher. The complaints are less clear. "My | | | | attention to the warning signs of an injury and you |
| arabesque is not as high as it used to be." "My hip is | | | | will prevent the more serious repercussions of an |
| clicking when I lower from a front developpe," or "My | | | | acute injury. Getting to know your body's patterns |
| lower back is aching, I'm not sure when it started, | | | | and muscular imbalances and then addressing those |
| but now I can't do my port de bras backwards". | | | | imbalances is the best tool way to prevent injuries. |
| These are the more normal, chronic overuse injuries | | | | |