The practice of sport at high intensity implies certain wear and tear and, consequently, an increase in the probability of suffering some type of injury. In most sports, the legs are the support that allows the execution of the activity, as for example in the case of dance.
Frequent injuries in dance
The injuries that mainly suffer a dancer of dance are produced in greater frequency in the lumbar rachis and in the inferior extremities, since they are the zones with more overload during the execution of the choreographies and rehearsals.
At the level of the spine the most frequent are the mechanical lumbalgias, without forgetting the injuries at the level of the intervertebral discs, that is to say, the herniated discs.
Regarding the foot area, first toe flexor tendinitis, Achilles tendinitis and stress fractures of the 2nd metatarsal are common due to the fact that it is the area that resists more movements and weight. Other frequent injuries are sesamoiditis, inflammation of the small bone that functions as a pulley for the tendons and whose function is to allow the big toe to do the “lever” action when walking or running. In addition to partial tears of the plantar fascia, elastic tissue located on the sole of the foot.
It should be noted that we should not confuse injuries with deformities. Of these last ones the most frequent is the hallux valgus, also called, bunion of the foot and that is an anatomical adaptation of the foot to the ballet.
If we continue upwards, traumatic injuries of the knee, ligaments or meniscus, or those caused by overload as the femoropatellar pain syndrome are common. Bursitis of the goose foot or patella, inflammation of the synovial bursae in these areas, can often be traumatic due to falls.
In the hip we find spring hip and synovitis and overload arthritis.
Injury prevention
To keep our body free of injuries, the most important thing is to influence the risk factors.
Therefore, muscular imbalances in the quadriceps and hamstrings should be avoided and anatomical alterations that can lead to injuries should be corrected. It is also important to be especially careful with certain agents such as the technique at the time of performing the exercises, the surface on which they are performed or poorly adapted shoes.
As in other sports, dedicating time to muscle stretching and a warm-up proportional to the work to be performed will also help to avoid the aforementioned injuries. In addition to carrying out an adequate previous examination of the locomotor system to rule out certain pathologies of the spine, knees, hips, foot; detect alterations of elasticity, strength or proprioception.
The work to the tip or half tip of the foot should be performed after an adequate adaptation of this part and an exquisite learning of the technique.
An appropriate physical preparation is essential to compensate the excess of hyperlordosis, increased curvature of the spine, in gestures such as the arabesque, or muscular deficits.
Today there are many techniques of body work, such as Pilates and others, that the dancer incorporates into his routine of body work aimed at preventing injuries.
Treatment of injuries
Most injuries are treated conservatively by the Sports Medicine specialist. Physiotherapy is fundamental, without ruling out other therapies such as mesotherapy or infiltrations with hyaluronic acid or growth factors, the latter being widely used in recent years. Despite the various methods currently available, in some cases the treatment required must be surgical.
How dance affects the body
The differences are not many with respect to the incidence that can have the rest of sports. However, there is an aspect that is inseparable from the dance as is the work of tips. Today it is known that this work should not be started early, before the age of 12 years, because of the consequences that can lead to the body of the dancer.
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