A Dancer’s greatest effort to fulfill their passion is to be strong, flexible, have immense stamina and most of all prevent oneself from being injured. As a dancer or as a parent to an upcoming artist it is best to be mindful of the injuries that are bound to happen due to rigorous practice and how it can be avoided.

Common Dance Injuries and its Prevention Tips

In dance, the maximum usage is of joints and muscles and hence the areas in conjunction with them are the ones to get easily affected. These are caused due to overuse and called overuse injuries. Some of overuse injuries are caused in parts like the Lower back, Ankle, Foot, and Legs. Some dancers also develop arthritis and Ligament injuries in these areas. Some injuries to me mentioned are Hip Impingement, Achilles Tendonitis, Lumbar Spine, etc. The reasons explained are due to the immense jumping when compared to other sports activities that help with muscle control.

Dance Injury – Prevention Methods

Before we look at what are the preventive measures we need to analyze a few points on why these injuries take place. Dance is a very high-stressed activity, in which movements are performed repeatedly for a far-stretched number of hours in a day. Movements more than 5 hours a day can definitely lead to injuries and stress fractures. Apart from this unhealthy diet and body weight can also lead to injuries during a dance.

The very common injury that can be very traumatic is an ankle sprain and this is caused due to incorrect landing jumps, ankles not aligned while doing rolls or most of all shoe fitting is incorrect. Building good strength in muscles can prevent this and in turn tendons and ligaments are also protected, check out here for more info.

• Apart from this, following certain tips can help protect and decrease the risk of all overuse injuries.
• It is important to consume a healthy diet and stay hydrated before, during and after class
• Overstrain needs to be avoided and a good amount of rest will help rejuvenate.
• Cross-training exercises helps grow a good amount of forte and fortitude to all body parts.
• It is vital to wear the right kind of clothing and shoes while dancing
• It is always good to do warm-up exercises before classes and performance
• Always be aware of your body and lead a beneficial life.
• Over and above this, if an injury does happen, consult a physical therapist at the earliest.
• Therapeutic Massage – Improves Health and Immune System

Everyone loves a good massage but a massage with a purpose means a lot. As a dancer, it is but natural to have a sore body after a tedious day. Thus having a massage helps with the removal of unwanted toxins and assists in betterment of circulation to the tissues along with the skin. The overstress caused due to dancing is relaxed when tight muscles are stretched. As toxins like lactic acid get removed from the body it helps muscles relax and releases pain. A good massage will also help in increasing the movement range of muscles and joints and gear up the recovery time by half.

It is believed that massages help increase the white blood cells count in the body called neutrophils. WBCs help to safeguard the body from infections; like bacteria, virus, etc., in turn, its boosts the immunity level to greater heights.

Role of a Licensed Massage Therapist

A Massage assists the body to stay healthy and stress-free thus helping it avoid unnecessary injuries and battering. After de-stressing the body adapts better to dancing. Thus a physical therapist often suggests massage as a treatment to the sore muscles after rigorous training or any injury caused due to dancing. It is better to be engaged with a licensed massage therapist who is aware of when and how the treatment should be given. He or she should be able to understand the level of injury before massaging so as to gauge the amount of pressure to be given during the treatment. It is better to understand that putting extra pressure on a fresh wounded or hurt area will only double the problem and not cause a relief.

A dancer’s body is shaped and made subtle after rigorous training. A good Therapeutic massage will help release the extra toxins in the body turning the whole body sore. The soreness reduces as the benefits start to take effect. The feel of doing your regular sessions might seem a little different until the body gets back into shape. It is best to make sure a good day’s rest is rendered to the body after a good rejuvenating massage.