Irish Dancing Injuries

The majority of dance related injuries are caused by overuse as opposed to any sort of trauma. The foot/ ankle/ lower leg/ back and hip are some of the most commonly injured sites. The most commonly seen Irish Dancing injuries are listed below in the symptoms section but many other injuries from dancing do occur and are easily treatable with focus on the specific dance techniques, flexibility and strength.

Symptoms Of Irish Dancing Injuries

Plantar Fasciitis - This is a painful injury that occurs when the tissue supporting the arch of the foot is overused and becomes inflamed.

Bunions - This is a small deformation of the bone around the big toe area. For dancers it is usually caused by wearing ill-fitting dance shoes.

Shin Splints – It is a painful condition caused by slight tears of the tissue that connect the muscle to the tibia/shin bone. In dancing these tears are caused by over exertion of the lower limbs by landing jumps on hard surfaces, landing improperly and inflexibility.

Achilles Tendinopathy – This refers to a painful condition when the Achilles tendon has become irritated and degenerative.

Treatment of Irish Dancing Injuries

Depending on the injury, our highly skilled Physiotherapists may prescribe various types of treatments including stretching and strengthening drills to ensure the core, hip, knee and ankle joints are all working in unison to keep the foot in an optimal position.

Orthotics can be used to help support the foot, particularly during non-dancing periods when it is out of the dancing shoes to enable adequate resting of the surrounding joints and muscles.

Many dancers find a sports massage to be particularly beneficial in helping to heal over used muscles quickly.

Our Expertise

Our Chartered Physiotherapists can provide effective treatment for injuries acquired during dancing as well as offering you advice on injury prevention. Check out our blog posts for further updates and related topics.