What are dance injuries?
Dance, like all sports, exposes the dancer to a lot of trauma. The main injuries that people who practice this activity can suffer affect the lumbar spine and the lower extremities, since these are the areas that support a greater overload during the execution of the choreographies. From the vertebral point of view, the most frequent pathologies are mechanical lumbago and lesions in the intervertebral discs (disc herniation). In the foot area, tendinitis, fractures due to excessive force, inflammation of the sesamoid bones and plantar fasciitis are common. The most frequent injuries of the lower extremities are knee, ligament or meniscus injuries, and knee bursitis. Finally, in the hip, we can find arthritis, spring hip and synovitis. It is important to distinguish dance injuries from deformities caused by this activity, among the most common of the latter would be the hallux valgus.
Symptoms of dance injuries
The symptoms of dance injuries vary according to the type of trauma. In addition to physical signs, as in the case of wounds, patients usually show more or less acute pain in the affected area.
The symptoms of dance injuries vary according to the type of trauma.
What are the causes of dance injuries?
Dance injuries are also called overuse injuries because they are caused by repetitive and excessive strain (e.g., in rehearsals and choreography) on the spine and lower extremities.
Can they be prevented?
To avoid injuries, it is necessary to reduce risk factors, so it is important to avoid muscular imbalances in the quadriceps and hamstring muscles and to correct anatomical alterations that may affect the chances of suffering injuries. In addition, it is important to pay special attention to the technique used to perform the exercises, the surface on which they are performed and the type of footwear used. It is recommended to dedicate time to stretching and muscle warm-up before starting the activity and to undergo a locomotor system control to rule out the possible presence of vertebral, knee, hip and foot pathologies, and to see if there are problems of strength, elasticity and proprioception. Currently there are many techniques, including Pilates, which help people who practice dance to prepare your body to avoid injury.
Treatments for Dance Injuries
Most dance injuries can be treated conservatively. It is essential to undergo cycles of physiotherapy without ruling out other treatments such as mesotherapy or infiltrations. Surgical interventions are indicated only in the most serious cases.
Which specialist should be consulted?
In the case of dance injuries, a specialist in traumatology and orthopedics, sports medicine or physiotherapy should be consulted, depending on the type of injury and the objective that the dancer wishes to achieve.