When people think of dance injuries, the mind often automatically goes to a setting of a ballet barre or stage show. Sometimes dance injuries happen in the social dance arena as well. For the purposes of this article, the term social dance will be defined as a dance style that requires at least 2 people […]
Ankle Sprains and Hip Strength
Inversion ankle sprains, or sprains that involve the ankle turning inwards, are a very common injury both with athletes and with sedentary people. This type of injury often needs physical therapy, and there is much published research and data in relation to why these injuries occur, how to rehabilitate sprains, and how to prevent repeat […]
Is Sleeping On My Side Bad For My Shoulder?
Especially for those of us who already have to deal with shoulder pain, the answer is a resounding “yes.” As a quick experiment, lie on your side. Think about the positioning of your shoulder as you lie on top of it. Most people will unconsciously position the body so that the bottom shoulder is forced […]
Poor Posture at Work? Do Something About It!
Any patient with a repetitive overuse injury who walks into our clinic will be asked the following question upon evaluation, “What does your work desk set-up look like?” Countless bouts of thumb tendonitis, back pain, elbow epicondylitis, and other maladies could be avoided if employers only took the time to make basic modifications to computer […]
Strengthen Your Scapular Muscles!
The scapula, otherwise known as the shoulder blade, plays a vital role in shoulder mechanics. If the shoulder blade is not controlled well via the muscles that attach to it, problems ranging from neck pain to rotator cuff tendonitis are often the result. Scapular strengthening is often overlooked both in patients that are trying to […]
Why Are My Ring Finger & Pinky Finger Numb?
Have you ever awoken to a numb hand? This is the result of one or more of the nerves in the arm being either clamped or stretched due to sleeping position. One of the most common nerves involved in this type of numbness is the ulnar nerve, as it passes around the elbow joint in […]
Are You a “Motor Moron?”
Do you have one of those friends that is always getting hurt for no particular reason? You know – that friend that always manages to trip over their own feet or stumble into inanimate objects. This is also the same friend that manages to cut themselves, regularly, when trying to cook or slams their fingers […]
Using Your Natural Turnout: A Cry for Dance Injury Prevention
In the dance community, particularly the ballet community, turnout is such a coveted talent. It becomes ingrained from a very early age that this perfectly externally rotated foot position is necessary to be considered a good dancer or one that is better than the other dancers. The problem is that turnout is not just a […]
Getting en Pointe: For the Progressing Dancer
The art of dancing en pointe is something that many little girls in ballet class work towards. It is a typical sign that you are now one of the “big girls.” However, the excitement of getting to this milestone can sometimes cause premature entry into the world of pointe shoes. Pointe shoes are a much […]
The Dancer’s Warm Up: You’ve Been Doing It Wrong For So Long
Every time I walk into dance facilities, I see the same thing, and as a physical therapist, it makes me cringe. I see dance students waiting for their classes to start by surrounding their respective studios in splits or some variation of a split. Yes, flexibility in dance is so very important, but this bad […]
