Dance and injuries go hand in hand. Lack of flexibility, improper stretching and excessive activity can cause injuries. Even stress can cause the muscles and tendons to tighten up and often results in an injury. Every type of dance requires the preparation of every muscle in the body before exercising. Therefore, it’s important to stretch properly before any practice or performance.Despite a complete warm-up and stretching, some dancers are just prone to injury. The constant jumping, extension and straining of the muscles can cause common dance injuries such as muscle strains and cramps, ankle sprains, knee injuries and back pain. Rehabilitating any injury properly will have you back on your feet in a reasonable amount of time.
Instructions
Ankle Sprains
1. Rehabilitate an ankle sprain with rest, ice, compression and elevation (R.I.C.E.) until the swelling disappears. By far, the most common dance injury is an ankle sprain. An ankle sprain is a small tear in the ligament in the ankle. And even the smallest tear can swell a good deal. Make sure to use ice for only 15 minutes at a time and elevate your ankle above your heart to encourage proper circulation. Reapply the ice every 3 hours.
2. Wrap your ankle in the ace bandage for added stability and to help reduce swelling. It’s safe to resume dancing when your ankle feels stable. Try using an ankle support brace to protect the ligaments and tendons. Ankle injuries usually happen more than once so make sure to resume your dance workouts gradually to prevent a repeated injury to your ankle.
3. Make a trip to the doctor to access the severity of the sprain if you still feel pain after a 3 to 4 days. Do not resume dancing until your doctor gives his approval.
Knee Injuries
4. Use R.I.C.E. for knee injuries, too. Knee injuries to dancers are usually caused by extensive turnout of the knees (such as during plies). Knee injuries usually take the form of damaged cartilage, which is often caused by jumping and landing. Knee injuries typically feature swelling or pain.
5. Make sure the swelling is gone before resuming partial activities. Rehabilitating a knee is tricky because bending the knee is such an integral part of dancing.
6. Stabilize your knee during dance practice with a brace if necessary and remember to stretch gently but completely before and after your workout. Warmed up muscles and tendons are less likely to be injured during exercise.
Back Injuries
7. Watch out for back pain. Many dancers can be leaping around the floor one minute and in the next minute, they are holding their back in excruciating pain. Back injuries are common for dancers and feature an ache that often prevents the dancer from even standing upright. The back muscles often spasm, a reflexive action that the body uses to protect the joints of the back.
8. Use the heating pad to ease your pain and take anti-inflammatory medication for discomfort. If you can walk and bend a small bit, you probably have a grade 1 muscle tear. If your pain doesn’t ease after a few days or if you feel sharp pain in your back or have swelling, visit your doctor for a complete assessment.
9. Begin gentle stretching to increase your mobility once your back is feeling better. Gradually increase the length of your stretching sessions until you reach your full range of motion. With any back injury, plan to rest for a week or two to fully recover.
Muscle Strains
10. Rest and apply ice for 15 minutes every 3 hours to relieve muscle strains. Muscle strains are a common dance injury that are caused by overstretching of the muscle. A few days of rest will usually ease the pain of a muscle strain.
11. Avoid activity until your muscle is strong again. Other than gentle stretching, dance exercise and stretching needs to be put on hold until your muscle has recovered.
12. Stretch completely but carefully after straining a muscle. A flexible, warmed-up muscle is less prone to injury. A series of stretching and then strengthening exercises are best when rehabilitating a muscle strain.
Muscle Cramps
13. Stop dancing immediately if you feel a muscle cramp. Muscle fatigue, dehydration and lack of flexibility cause muscle cramps. Cramps can seize up your leg, back, neck or any other muscle of the body and can be excruciatingly painful.
14. Gently massage the area where the cramp is located. Once the immediate pains eases, gently and completely stretch the area. Many cramps occur at the end of a period of exercise. Make sure you are warming up before dancing and that you perform complete stretches after your workout.
15. Consider the cause of your cramps. Muscle cramps have an underlying cause and frequently are caused by lack of fluids, salt or potassium. Drink plenty of water, eat properly, and make sure you hydrate during your dancing, too. If your cramps are frequent or painful, see your doctor.
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