The art of dancing has always been one of the most popular ways for human beings of all ages to express themselves. For many people, dancing is more than a fun hobby or evening activity, it’s a sport. Competitive dancers are truly athletes, and they are well-equipped with an incredible technical dancing prowess. The downside to dancing as a sport is that it can put a ton of strain on the body, and often leads to injury. Most dancers experience some dance injuries over the course of their dancing careers, and while some are mild, others can be much more serious.
Why does dancing cause injuries?
Roughly 90 percent of dancers experience some type of injury as a result of their chosen activity. Most dancing requires extreme technical skill, and hours upon hours of training. You can see the physical strength and flexibility of dancers in every performance. The movements it takes to put together such elegant and technical performances can put massive stress on bones and ligaments. Even worse, most dancers spend days, weeks, and hours repeating these damaging motions to get them perfect. All of this stress can lead to injuries that range from sprains to fractures.
Unfortunately, these injuries are most likely to occur in young dancers experiencing bone growth. Between the ages of 8 and 14, girls and boys go through growth spurts. During these times, their bones are at their weakest, making them especially prone to the worst kinds of injuries.
What are the most common injuries?
A dancer’s feet and ankles are some of their sharpest weapons, propelling their bodies through the air, and helping them to glide across a floor. This means that dancers are at a high risk for injuries like tendonitis of the tendons in the foot and ankle joints as well as stress fractures.
Knee injuries are very common among dancers, as proper placement of the hips and feet relies greatly on the knee. This can put a lot of stress on the area causing pains and strains.
Even non-dancers experience back problems over the course of time, and for dancers, the problems can be extremely painful. Dancers often deal with back conditions that stem from vertebrae that have sustained breaks due to stress.
Life Fitness Physical Therapy
Physical therapy can help dancers recover from injuries and get back in front of audiences with more ease and speed. At Life Fitness, we specialize in sports medicine, and can help you learn how to dance with your physical health in mind so that you can avoid future injuries.
Schedule an appointment with Life Fitness Physical Therapy to start taking steps to a healthier life. Call 410-368-1026 or click here to see a list of all of our locations. You can also follow our Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, and Google+ accounts to keep up with us
