It is true that the majority of dancing injuries occur because of overuse rather than accident or trauma. However, telling a passionate dancer to cut back their amount of practices a week because they are running the risk of injury from overuse because in most cases they simply won’t listen. Dancers are also at risk at developing a range of painful feet conditions due to the fact that they are always using them.
So here are some preventative tips to help dancers remain injury free and prevent them from developing painful conditions:
Warm up
As with all physical activity, -make sure you take time to complete a full warm up. This will ensure that your major muscle groups are ready for your dance workout which will help to prevent muscle sprain or strain.
Toes
Only ever cut your toenails straight across and never cut the corners off. This will prevent development of ingrown toenails which are common among dancers due to the pressure and tightness of dancing shoes.
Laces
Don’t tie your laces under the arch of your feet as this puts pressure on the muscles along the sole of your foot which can lead to a painful condition called plantar fasciitis. Don’t tie your laces around your heel area as this can put stress and strain on Achilles tendon causing it become inflamed and painful.
Feet
Keep an eye on the condition of your feet – watching out for dry skin which can lead to callus formation, soreness, bunions, reddening of any area which can signal inflammation and if you are experiencing any pain or prolonged problems visit a Podiatrist of Physiotherapist to have treatment. Avoid ill fitted dancing shoes as they are the root to a wide range of foot problems experienced by dancers.
Diet
Most athletes including dancers maintain a healthy diet anyway but our one tip is to make sure you maintain a balance in your salt, fluid and potassium because an imbalance here, which often arises due to heavy sweating can cause muscle cramps.