When looking at the different injuries dancers are susceptible to — due primarily to the extensive physical exertion involved in their craft — many are caused by improper alignment and overuse. In your technique classes at GCU, your teachers will talk about proper form and alignment. For example, they may tell you to keep your shoulders over your pelvis and your pelvis over your knees, as well as keeping your knees in line with your ankles, when performing a plié.
If you do not maintain proper alignment, you may cause wear and tear on your knees over time, causing injuries that could prematurely end your dance career. Here are some of the most common injuries that dancers experience:
Lower body dance injuries include:
- Hip impingement: Hip impingement occurs when the ball of the femur is pushed up and pinches the acetabulum (cartilage) in the hip socket. The impingement of the ball and socket joint in the hip is can contribute to stiffness, muscle pain, atrophy and decreased performance that often is felt when the hip is brought into extreme flexion.3 This injury could end your dance career if left untreated; a hip arthroscopy may be a beneficial treatment if the pain becomes severe.
- Sacroiliac (SI) joint dysfunction: SI joint pain is sometimes little more than slight discomfort, but more often it causes intense pain felt in the SI joints, which are located where the lower part of the spine (the sacrum) connects to the pelvis. SI joint dysfunction can create pain that can range from slight discomfort to intense pain felt along the SI joint. The pain can be aggravated by prolonged, repetitive movement and pain can be reduced by avoiding activity (especially activity that worsens the pain), taking over-the-counter pain medication and applying ice or heat.
- Cartilage tears: The most common injury to cartilage in the knees is a tear of the meniscus. Typically, injuries to the meniscus are caused by rotating and twisting actions. As dancers, we can take proper precautions by making sure we are using proper technique and alignment when performing such rotational or spiraling movements.
- Shin splints: This injury is commonly sustained by dancing on a hard surface, especially one without shock absorption. Placing stress on the leg for a long period of time or using improper technique may also cause such injuries.
- Snapping hip syndrome: This injury is characterized by a snapping or popping noise in the hip joint, as well as some tenderness or pain in that area especially with repetitive use. Essentially, this injury is the result of muscle or tendon moving over the hip bone with external rotation. This is a long-term injury that may be treated through massage, stretching, physical therapy and strengthening the hips and core.
Foot and ankle injuries include:
- Ankle sprains: Caused by overstretching the ligaments in the ankle and foot beyond their range of motion (ROM), ankle sprains his can cause instability in the joint, allowing for a rolling action of the ankle to occur more easily. If left untreated, an ankle sprain could turn into a ligament tear.
- Achilles tendonitis: This injury results from overuse of the tendon that assists in pointing the feet. A common symptom is inflammation on the back of the calf and/or heel. It is often the result of improper training with the feet (overstretching, pronating, or supinating the foot, or progressively performing repetitive movements involving the ankle with movements such as the petite allegro or other jumps without proper warm-up.
- Trigger toe: This injury involves damage to the muscles, tendons, and ligaments in the foot and toes (most commonly the big toe due to dancing en pointe) and can be identified by pain along the inside of the ankle and under the foot.
- Dancer’s fracture: This is a fracture to the fifth metatarsal in the foot. This injury is usually sustained when a dancer rolls their ankle while dancing on their toes.
The metatarsals, tibia, sesamoids and lumbar spine are areas most commonly affected by stress fractures in dancers. A stress fracture can be caused by increasing your training intensity too quickly, dancing on hard floors, low energy levels and fatigue, and/or nutritional and hormonal factors. Making sure that you are getting proper rest, eating healthily, and training safely will be key to avoiding stress fractures.
Dancers’ knees, ankles, hips and feet are most susceptible to arthritis. Arthritis is inflammation in the joints that is often caused by plantar fasciitis, hyperextension and scoliosis.
