07/09/2021
Common Dance Injuries and Physical Therapy Treatment
Hello, I am Laura Novak, PT, DPT, Cert. MDT, and former dancer. One of the reasons I became interested in physical therapy was due to several visits after dance injuries. I now focus my practice in orthopedics, and have a passion treating dancers who want to get back to what they love doing!
Some of the most common dance injuries occur to the back, knee, and ankle.
Spondylolisthesis is the most common cause of back pain in teens, which is when a vertebrae slips forward on the vertebrae below, due to small stress fractures. Some of the time, this happens due to areas of immobility above or below the level of the Spondylolisthesis, so addressing those areas with mobility is a common approach I perform. Core stabilization is essential in bracing the area, so that the Lumbar spine is supported properly-especially important when the dancer is extending their Lumbar spine! We work to teach the deep stabilizers when and how to fire, in order to decrease the risk of re-injury and pain.
Knee injuries are also common in dancers. We see a strength imbalance and inadequate flexibility around the hip/knee in many cases. This causes abnormal forces at the soft tissue around the knee, and contributes to knee injuries. Therapy focuses on restoring proper length of the muscles and strengthening of the weak muscles. How do we know what is what? We test during your evaluation, and create an individualized plan for you to return to dance.
Ankle sprains are also common in the dance world, and I typically see a loss of proper mobility around the ankle, poor strength around the ankle (and even higher up into the leg/hip), and poor balance. Many studies have found that there is decreased position sense (properioception) with ankle instability, so we focus on improving balance strategies with changing surfaces under the foot.
For more information on our services, go to www.excellcarept.net and you can schedule a free screen or evaluation!
