Why should dancers work with a physiotherapist who has a dance background?

Did you know that dancers are at high risk of injury? Did you know that some of these injuries are preventable?

In fact, 95% of dancers will experience pain or an injury within each and every year they participate in dance. (1) Up to 91% of all injuries will be to the lower extremities (that’s your hips, legs, ankles, and feet). There is strong evidence that neuromuscular training and strengthening can help decrease injury, improve performance and improve movement mechanics. (2) There is also evidence that strengthening can help improve flexibility in a safe and effective manner!

Physiotherapists are highly skilled healthcare practitioners who are trained to assess injuries, evaluate movement, and design programs to help with performance, recovery, and injury prevention. In short, a physiotherapist should be on every dancer’s care team! But first and foremost, you have to find the right physiotherapist for you! You should trust them, enjoy working with them, and feel comfortable discussing your goals, injuries, concerns, and fears.

Having a physiotherapist who understands dance can also be a huge advantage:

• They are more likely to be up to date on dance medicine science and know what is currently being recommended in the literature (that’s what we call “bringing the science into the studio”!)
  Having a physiotherapist with dance knowledge will also improve communication during assessments and treatment sessions as they will be able to “speak your language”. Using correct terminology is important when communicating exercises and return to dance protocols and helps ensure things don’t get “lost in translation”. Your physio will truly understand when you describe difficulties and goals; this way you can work together as a team and feel that your therapist “gets it”!

• Having knowledge of all aspects of dance helps with the design of a comprehensive plan. Dance is about returning to movement but proper technique is crucial, and understanding dance skills will help physios design appropriate exercises and progress your program safely after an injury. We understand dance posture, alignment, and turnout. The cardiovascular requirements for dance must never be overlooked and should be considered during rehabilitation. Strength, balance, and psychological demands help round out rehabilitation plans and ensure the whole dancer is being looked after.

• Physiotherapy assessments should always look at structures and movement but most importantly, needs to observe movement patterns and functional abilities. Physiotherapists with knowledge in dance are able to complete a dance-specific assessment including barre work, specific dance skills, and pre-pointe assessments to ensure dance-specific movements are addressed and corrected.

• The prevalence of joint hypermobility in dancers can is estimated to be as high as 90%. (4) Having a thorough understanding of hypermobility disorders including how to assess and treat them appropriately is imperative. It is also important to know when to refer to other healthcare providers to ensure the whole dancer is being well taken care of.

Have a question regarding physiotherapy and dance? Do not hesitate to contact me.

1. Smith PJ, Gerrie BJ, Varner KE, McCulloch PC, Lintner DM, Harris JD. Incidence and Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Injury in Ballet: A Systematic Review. Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine. 2015 Jul 1;3(7):2325967115592621.
2. Rössler R, Donath L, Bizzini M, Faude O. A new injury prevention program for children’s football – FIFA 11+ Kids – can improve motor performance: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Journal of Sports Sciences. 2016 Mar 18;34(6):549–56.
3. Koutedakis Y, Sharp NCC. Thigh-muscles strength training, dance exercise, dynamometry, and anthropometry in professional ballerinas. J Strength Cond Res. 2004 Nov;18(4):714–8.
4. Sanches SB, Oliveira GM, Osório FL, et al. Hypermobility and joint hypermobility syndrome in Brazilian students and teachers of ballet dance. Rheumatol Int. 2015;35(4):741-747.

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