Dance is a wonderful athletic activity that allows dancers to express themselves and stay active. Those dedicated to the craft reap a number of amazing health benefits, including developing and maintaining a healthy heart, strong lungs, muscles and bones. In saying this, due to the athletic nature of dance, it can also place intense physical demands on the body that can put one at greater risk of injury.
Physiotherapy provides an evidence-based and effective way to not only treat dance-related injuries but prevent them as well. If you are a dancer, educating yourself on what injuries you are predisposed to will provide you with the knowledge and power to incorporate functional prevention and management strategies. The most common injuries that we see dancers coming into our clinic for include muscle strains, ligament sprains, stress fractures, and overuse injuries. There are also a number of dance-specific conditions and injuries including dancers heel (posterior impingement syndrome), achilles tendinopathy, navicular stress fracture, trigger toe (FHL tenosynovitis), shin splints, and lateral ankle sprains that physiotherapy can address before they cause greater harm.
It is incredibly important for anyone who has obtained a dance-related injury to seek out a physiotherapist who has experience in the unique demands involved with dance. They will be able to conduct a thorough physical assessment to provide an accurate diagnosis and formulate an appropriate treatment plan. By identifying any musculoskeletal imbalances and areas of weakness, treatment can be provided to address these clinical findings and improve a dancer’s strength, flexibility and global fitness, and enable them to perform better and have a healthy body. A personalized treatment plan will be developed by the physiotherapist that will address all phases of the healing cascade appropriately. This includes managing the swelling and pain experienced in the acute stage of injury, followed by exercises and associated methods to increase muscular strength, speed, endurance, agility, motor control, and energy utilization to maximize the rehabilitation outcome and facilitate the return to dance.
At The Physio Clinic, we offer physiotherapy exercise classes (PEC) that clients can attend with these individualized programs. Exposure to these tailored programs allows dancers to incorporate new routines, stimulate different muscle groups and load different body systems, thus improving cardiovascular endurance, reducing overall fatigue, boosting immune function, enhancing stamina, and improving performance.
If you are a dancer and dedicated to staying healthy and strong so that you can keep living and breathing your passion, book into a session with one of our physios who can assist you in achieving these goals.
For more information or to book an appointment, please call The Physio Clinic on 8342 1233.
Written by Courtney Lehman | Physiotherapist at Marryatville and Blackwood
