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Reviewer by Yummy

5. Fatigue – a tired dancer tends to

SAFETY MEASURES IN DANCING lose form. Falls and injuries caused
by sloppy technique are more likely.
6. Hazardous Environments – for
An active, healthy lifestyle doesn’t
example, worn or ripped carpet,
come by accident. You need to work for it.
Your physical activity practicum gives you
hard floor, uneven floor, spilt
the chance to do that by putting you in liquids or fittings close to the dance
charge of your physical activity. area such as stairs.
7. Over training – dancing for too
Here are tips to be considered during long or too often can lead to a wide
dance sessions. range of overuse injuries. Shin
Step 1 - Find suitable and safe place for splints and stress fractures in the
dancing feet are common dance-related
Step 2 - Wear appropriate footwear and overuse injuries.
clothing 8. Failure to rest an injury –
Step 3 - Do warm up exercises
returning to dance before an
Step 4 - Choose a Dance style that is
appropriate for you
existing injury has healed can
Step 5 - Provide first aid kit for safety aggravate the condition.
measures

The range of body movements, repetition Professional trainers mostly

and speed of movement can put you at risk suggest, warm-up is designed to increase
of an injury, particularly if you are new and your body’s internal temperature and warm
learning unfamiliar steps. You can help your muscles to prevent muscle strains and
reduce your risk of injury by being aware of joint sprains. The best way is to start off at a
some of these risk factors. leisurely pace and usually 5 to 10-minutes
warm-up is needed, but this will vary from
person to person and if the weather is cold.
Eight Factors that can Increase your Risk Fitness exercises were created for
of Dance Injury: cardio-vascular maneuvers. It comprises the
heart and blood vessels and carries nutrients
and oxygen to the tissues of the body and
1. Inexperience – beginners may be
removes carbon dioxide and other wastes.
vulnerable to injury because they While cardio - vascular is operating not in a
don’t have the skills or technique to normal effort the body needs water.
meet the physical demands of their
chosen dance style. Make sure you So, what is the purpose of water to your
follow the instructions of your body anyway?
dance teacher.
2. Poor fitness – weak muscles are Water is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless,
more likely to be injured when odorless, and nearly colorless chemical
challenged or stretched. Controlled substance. If fluid is not replaced, the
progressions will improve your dancer will become dehydrated. Muscle
cramps, electrolyte deficits and muscle
fitness and muscle strength.
fatigue may be associated with dehydration
3. Poor technique – for example, and heat cramps.
bringing your foot down to the floor
with more force than necessary can Dehydration - refers to the excessive loss
injure soft tissue and bone. of water from the body, usually through
4. 4. Poor posture – weak muscles in perspiration or sweating, urination, or
the back and abdomen increase the evaporation. It is important for dancers to
risk of injury to all areas of the body know that being properly hydrated helps
including the spine and legs. keep the body from overheating. Helping
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the body promote heat loss when dancing Here are a few general tips for dancers to
full out will improve athletic performance stay safe before, during, and after
and aid in recovery. exercising.
1. Have your doctor clear you to
Overexertion or Overtraining – It occurs participate in an exercise program.
when people push themselves too hard Reasons not to dance until your doctor
during physical activities like Dancing clears you include:
causes injury when a person works beyond  Severe HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
his or her physical capacity and tolerances (hypertension):
of his or her body’s soft tissues. Factors – systolic (top number) above
related to overexertion are age, physical 200mmHg and/or
condition, body flexibility, obesity, strength, – diastolic (bottom number) above
and tolerance 110mmHg
 Illness or being sick
Overexertion injuries are generally of  Any type of injury that would be
two types: worsen by exercise
 Sprains - stretching or tearing of  Recent heart event (heart attack,
ligaments ischemia)
 Strains - stretching or tearing  Recent procedure (bypass surgery, stent
tendons or muscles placement, etc.)
 Chest pain or discomfort
 Uncontrolled heart failure
Heat Stress and Heat Stroke  Electrolyte abnormalities
 Arrhythmia
Hyperthermia – Refers to agroup of heat-  Aneurysm
related conditions characterized by an
abnormally high body temperature in other 2. STOP dancing if any of the following
words, the opposite of hypothermia. The occurs:
condition occurs when the body's heat-  Chest pain or discomfort
regulation system becomes overwhelmed by  Feeling lightheaded or dizzy*
outside factors, causing a person's internal  Feeling unusually tired*
temperature to rise  Shortness of breath*
 Excessive sweating*
Hypothermia – Excessive low body  Palpitations or unusual fast heart beat*
temperature, characterized by uncontrollable  *If the feeling persists for more than 5
shivering, loss of coordination, and mental minutes after you stop exercise,
confusion. When the body begins to lose  get help immediately.
heat faster that it can be produced.
Prolonged exertion leads to progressive 3. General tips for everyone
muscular fatigue. As exposure continues  Wear comfortable broken in exercise
and additional body heat is lost, the cold shoes with closed toes and cushioned
reaches the brain. One loses judgment and socks. This will help properly support
the ability to reason. Speech becomes slow and protect your feet and avoid blisters
and slurred and control of the hands is lost. which can lead to other problems.
Medical emergency that occurs when your  A slow warm-up is important to protect
body loses heat faster than it can produce your muscles and joints from injury. In
heat, causing a dangerously low body addition, sudden starts and stops add
temperature. Normal body temperature is stress to the heart and could trigger a
around 98.6 F (37 C). Hypothermia (hi-poe- rapid change in blood glucose levels.
THUR-me-uh) occurs as your body  To properly “feed” your muscles with
temperature falls below 95 F (35 C). oxygen, hold your chest upright and
breathe deeply and regularly.
DANCE SAFETY TIPS  Be careful not to get injured by
overextending your muscles with
kicking, swinging or flinging your
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arms, legs or neck further than is When developing your Emergency Action
comfortable. You should never Plan (EAP), it’s a good idea to look at a
experience extreme pain when wide variety of potential emergencies that
performing any dance move. could occur in your workplace. It should be
 Dance at half time to the music if it’s tailored to your worksite and include
going too fast for you. If you think you information about all potential sources of
can last “just one more song” it’s a emergencies. Developing an emergency
good time to stop. You should not feel action plan means you should do a hazard
exhausted! assessment to determine what, if any,
 Be aware of your body “center” to keep physical or chemical hazards in your
your balance on the dance floor. Keep workplaces could cause an emergency. If
your feet about shoulder width apart you have more than one worksite, each site
with a slight bend in your knees. From should have an emergency action plan.
your center you can move up or down, Fortunately, catastrophic injuries
left or right or front to back and stay in are an infrequent occurrence in a dance
control. program. But unfortunately, they do occur;
 End your workout with a slow cool and often an effective response strategy is
down. Slowly stretch your muscles not in place. By establishing and practicing
which will help avoiding cramping, an Emergency Action Plan (EAP), you and
soreness and stiffness later. your staff can be prepared to manage a
 Drink enough fluids, especially if severe injury until additional help arrives.
dancing more than 1 hour or if it is hot
and humid. Emergency Action Plan for Dance
Injuries
How you develop an EAP depends
After the Dance: Watch out for low on your dance program's activities. Like a
blood glucose for up to 48 hours. Any type dancer, your plan should be limber.
of exercise can improve insulin action and
glucose uptake, especially if you use insulin The following guidelines can help to
or take certain pills to treat your diabetes. structure your plan:
Play it safe and test your glucose levels  Start by recruiting an EAP planning
periodically during the few hours after you team of teachers, students (particularly
stop working out. You may need a small those with prior medical experience),
snack or meal with a balance of carbs, parents, and local emergency
protein, and fat to help prevent lows. personnel, along with anyone else you
feel can benefit your team.
 Develop plans for medical emergencies
INJURY AND EMERGENCY that may occur, and specify duties and
MANAGEMENT IN DANCING responsibilities for your program.
Carefully outline tasks in a simple,
concise written format.
Across the whole spectrum of dance  Identify issues specific to your
there is little doubt that the vast majority of business, as well as off-site venues.
injuries are the result of overuse rather than Know the location of emergency
trauma. These injuries tend to occur at the medical equipment, communication
foot/ankle/ lower leg, low back, and hip. devices, emergency exits, shelters,
The foot/ankle/lower leg area is elevators, alarm systems, and areas to
vulnerable to a wide range of injuries, serve as meeting locations.
including stress fractures, tendon injuries,  Assess equipment issues. Determine
sprains, and strains. These injuries show up the type of equipment available and
with greater frequency in dancers as they where it is stored. Designate
age, so it is extremely important to someone to inspect and maintain it,
emphasize what the young dancer can do to
as necessary.
prevent future injuries
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 Identify who will make phone calls but worse with jumping, relevé, or
and in what order. Post emergency pointe work
numbers  Prevention - Stretching your
 and dialing instructions, if the caller Achilles with your foot in parallel,
needs to press a phone line number quadriceps/hip/core strengthening to
or other number prior to dialing decrease force absorption at the
"911." ankle
 Treatment - Physical therapy
Dance may look effortless, but it focused on correct training
requires a lot of strength, flexibility and technique, modalities to decrease
stamina. It also comes with a high risk of inflammation, calf stretching, and
injuries. Whether you are a dancer, a teacher soft tissue to calf and surrounding
or a student should be aware of the most
musculature
common dance injuries and learn how to
avoid them. 3. “TRIGGER TOE” (FLEXOR
HALLUCIS LONGUS
Common Dance Injuries: Includes, Pain TENOSYNOVITIS) - Trigger toe is
Associated, how to prevent and how to another overuse injury that causes
treat them if it occurs: inflammation and damage to muscle
that is active during pointing the big
1. ANKLE SPRAINS - Ankle sprains are toe.
the most common traumatic (or acute)  Pain - gradual onset of pain along
injury in dancers. Most dancers will inside of ankle and under the foot while
experience their first sprain by age 13. pointing the big toe which may also
This injury is caused by any movement feel like big toe is “stuck”
that forces the ankle outside of the  Prevention - good form with your
normal range of motion, resulting in an relevés and not crunching your toes to
overstretching or in tears to the force a pointe, rolling out the arch of
ligaments of the ankle. your foot with a ball (but not to the
 Pain - Acute onset with pain on the point of pain)
inside or outside of the ankle,  Treatment: physical therapy (correct
swelling and bruising may be technique, modalities to decrease
present in more severe cases inflammation, stretching, massage),
 Prevention - 4-way ankle exercises, surgery to release tendon from
hip strengthening surrounding tissues if symptoms do not
 Treatment - Rise, joint protection, resolve.
early mobility, physical therapy
4. ANKLE IMPINGEMENT - Ankle
2. ACHILLES TENDONITIS - impingement is the pinching of
Achilles tendonitis is an tissues at ankle (tibia and talus) at
inflammation of the tendon in the either the front or the back of the
back of the ankle that connects the ankle.
prime mover for pointing to your  Prevention - stretching your
foot. As the Achilles is active Achilles and stretching (but not
during relevé and pointing the foot, forcing) your pointe
this overuse injury is quite common  Anterior (front) Pain - pain at the
in dancers, especially those utilizing front of the ankle with plie and
improper technique or participating landing
in excessive training.  Treatment - PT to improve
 Pain - Gradual onset of pain and mechanics and technique (manual
tenderness just above the heel which therapy)
may feel better when warmed up,
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 Posterior (back) Pain - pain at the  Treatment - PT with stretching,

back of the ankle with tendu or hip/core strengthening, pelvic
relevé stabilization, dance modification
 Treatment - PT to improve ankle and rehearsals; may result in
mechanics and technique (manual surgical intervention as needed.
therapy), surgery if there is a bone
spur or “extra bone” between heel 7.PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN
and back of tibia SYNDROME - Patellofemoral Pain
Syndrome, also known as “jumper’s
5. SNAPPING HIP - Snapping hip knee,” results from the kneecap
syndrome often starts as an “tracking” incorrectly due to muscle
annoying snapping sound in the imbalances like tight hamstrings
front of the hip with developed or and calves coupled with weak
battements. However, over time, quads. The placement of repetitive
iliotibial band (IT band) tightness forces on the patella, like through
and weakness of the outside of the performing jumps or plies without
hip can cause the snapping to proper form puts a dancer at
become painful. increased risk.
 Pain - snapping/clicking sound in  Pain - pain in the front of the knee
front of the hip with developed and with jumping, plie, or stair
battements negotiation
 Prevention - foam rolling your hip  Prevention - core and hip
flexors, quadriceps, IT band, and strengthening; foam rolling hip
glutes as well as strengthening your flexors, quadriceps, IT band, and
glutes glutes
 Treatment - PT with core  Treatment - physical therapy with
strengthening, pelvic stabilization, focus on core and hip strengthening,
modification of class and rehearsal IT band stretching, and re-education
work until symptoms resolve of dysfunctional movement patterns

6. HIP IMPINGEMENT - Hip PREVENTIVE MEASURES IN

impingement can be caused by DANCING
many different factors from
arthritis, labral tear, stress fracture, 1. Stretch the muscles of the upper and
muscle strain, snapping hip lower extremity, including the back,
syndrome, sacroiliac joint before and after activity.
dysfunction, to piriformis 2. When landing from jumps, stress
syndrome. It is extremely common landing in the athletic position. The hips
in dancers due to the imbalance and legs must be used as shock
between the amount of external absorbers.
rotation (turn out) they have 3. Balance training should include
compared to the amount of internal stationary and dynamic activities that
rotation (turn in). progress incrementally.
 Pain - passé, develop a second, pain 4. The core is the link in the chain that
with flexion and internal rotation connects the arms and the legs. If the
(turning in) core is weak, injuries are more likely.
 Prevention - foam rolling your hip The core includes the abdominal, back
flexors, quadriceps, IT band, and and hip muscles. Core exercises should
glutes as well as strengthening your be done on a daily basis.
glutes
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5. Repetitive tumbling activities must be

done in intervals, followed with rest.
These should not be done on and
everyday basis.