5 Most Common Injuries in Dancers

5 Most Common Injuries in Dancers (not in any specific order)

1.   Foot/ankle (sprains & stress fractures)

2.   Knee joint

3.   Hip Complex

4.   Back Strain or Spasm (disc injury)

5.   Arthritis in hip, knee, foot/ankle

Some injuries are out of our control. A Congenital issue or abnormality that a dancer is born with is not in our control; however, it may be managed well if appropriately diagnosed, and with good, solid, consistent Physical Therapy, it may be overcome. An injury resulting from an accident or fall is not always within our control. Having said that, if the accident or fall comes from a lack of strength, we need to understand that it may have been preventable.

Top 3 Things That Cause Injuries in Dancers? (Johns Hopkins)

1.   Overtraining

2.   Lack of muscle support for joints

3.   Lack of control over movements

·       Restrictive diets and unhealthy body weights may also contribute to dance injuries. (Johns Hopkins)

What do we do with this information? Let’s take this top 3 causes one by one.

1.   Overtraining Facts:

Research shows that repetitive movements can lead to overuse injuries. Most movements only recruit a specific part of the body’s joints and muscles. When those areas are used more often than others, it causes muscular imbalances and stress in the most frequently used areas.

It's a common misconception that more dance classes alone will improve dancing skills. In reality, a balanced approach that includes strength training is key. Consider a football program-players don't just play more football to get better, they have highly structured strength programs. Similarly, dancers can benefit from a comprehensive training regimen that includes strength training.

• If a professional football player only played football and did no other training, their longevity in the sport would be cut short. You will find that most professional football players have an extensive strength training program, as well as agility and skill drills. This is where they spend most of their time before hitting the field to run plays. Football Strength and Conditioning Coaches and Trainers plan their programs to prepare players for the specific skill sets required for their respective positions. Not just football, but their particular position on the team and what areas need to be strengthened to help them be the best they can be in that position and be injury-resilient and hopefully injury-free.

*** What are our dancers training for?

Ultimately, our goal is to dance with endurance, free from pain, and without the fear of injury. This aspiration should inspire us to adopt a holistic approach to training that includes strength, flexibility, and control.

2.   Lack of muscle support for joints:

If the muscles that support the joints are not strong, then the joint takes the brunt of the force and energy of the dance movements alone, unsupported.  This unnecessarily causes wear and tear on the bones, ligaments, and tendons. They act with little to no support from the muscles if not properly strengthened. The joints are designed to function with the full support of all muscles, tendons, ligaments, and bones in a healthy state.

*** What do dancers need strength for?

To land out of jumps, leaps, and turns without injury to the back, hips, or knees. To perform and rehearse without pain.

3.   Lack of control over movements

Many of our dancers work very hard on flexibility for obvious reasons. They want their jumps, kicks, and extensions to be as long and high as possible.

Once again, if the joints where these muscles are being stretched are not also strengthened, there is little control over how long and high those jumps, kicks, and extensions are. This leads to overshooting, landing poorly, and instability due to lack of control.

*** Don’t dancers want their kicks, leaps, and extensions to be as high as possible?

Yes, absolutely, but if there is no control over the movement, it can easily lead to injury, as well as timing issues in the choreography due to overshooting.

If you, as a dancer or as a dancer teacher, want to build longevity in the art of dancing, it is imperative that strength training be part of the dance program!

Happy Dancing!