By: Kimberly Wolf King, PT, DPT
If you’re a competitive dancer, you know there’s no such thing as an off-season. Competitions, classes, conventions, company rehearsals, master classes—it’s a constant, year-round cycle. And while you might love every moment of it, that non-stop grind can take a serious toll on your body.
Unlike other athletes, dancers don’t just play one “position.” You move in every direction, push your limits daily, and transition from one intense dance style to another, typically all in the same week. Jumping from being on the tops of your toes in pointe class to intensive plyometric jazz, to ankle and foot dominant tap, to explosive hip hop is a lot. So, how do you stay healthy and injury-free when the stage rarely rests?
The Importance of Cross-Training
When you’re dancing nearly every day, it’s easy to assume you’re in peak physical shape. But even the most talented dancers can develop muscle imbalances from repetitive movements.
Think about it: you are likely favoring only your right or left side for turns, leaps, or extensions. (PS: This is why giving it your all in your across-the-floor training is important; to strengthen both sides!) Over time, this dominance can lead to overuse injuries. That’s why cross-training is crucial. Strengthening your stabilizing muscles, like your core and glutes helps you move more efficiently and reduces the risk of injury.
There can be a stigma sometimes in the dance world that cross-training will bulk a dancer up and lose the “dancer’s body,” but that is a myth and outdated thinking. It is important to build functional strength to support the movements you love. Activities like Pilates, yoga, or targeted strength training can help improve balance, prevent burnout, and make you an even stronger performer.
Common Injuries in Competitive Dance
Even with the best preparation, injuries can happen. Some of the most common ones seen in competitive dancers include:
- Hip flexor strains: Often caused by the intense flexibility and repetitive movements required in many dance styles.
- Ankle sprains: A classic injury, especially for dancers landing jumps or dancing on unstable surfaces.
- Patellar tracking issues: Many dancers experience knee pain due to hypermobility and weak quads and glutes, which can cause improper tracking of the kneecap.
- SI joint dysfunction: This can result from hypermobility and a lack of core and glute stability, leading to lower back and pelvic pain.
Understanding these injuries is the first step toward preventing them.
Preventing Injuries BEFORE They Happen
The best way to stay on the dance floor is to address weaknesses before they turn into injuries. Here are some tips to keep you moving:
- Focus on Strength, Not Just Flexibility
While flexibility is essential in dance, strength is what supports your range of motion. Prioritize exercises that build core stability, hip strength, and joint support. - Listen to Your Body
Pain is never something to dance through. Small aches and twinges can quickly become bigger problems if ignored. If something doesn’t feel right, don’t push through it. Often the site of the pain is not the problem; but rather compensating for another area of the body that is not working right. - Work Both Sides of Your Body
Break the habit of favoring one side for turns or tricks. Train your non-dominant side just as much to ensure balance and prevent overuse injuries. - Warm Up and Cool Down
Dynamic stretching and mobility exercises before rehearsals or competitions can prepare your body for movement. Teachers are required to do basic warm-ups and cool-downs, but those are necessarily tailored to what you need specifically. Take the time to see a PT and figure out what movements you should be including in your weekly routine that is more customizable for your particular needs.
When to Seek Help
Dancers are often reluctant to admit they are in pain. Missing a performance or competition feels unthinkable, but continuing to dance through pain usually only makes things worse. Your health is more important than having to feel bad about a formation needing to be changed for a competition or two!
Parents and coaches/teachers, in particular, play a crucial role here. Since younger dancers may not always communicate their discomfort, it’s essential to watch for these signs:
- Avoiding full-out movements and only marking choreography in practice.
- Grimacing during certain steps or tricks.
- Sudden changes in performance quality.
- Falling out of tricks or moves that typically are not difficult for the dancer
Encourage dancers to speak up, and ensure their coaches/teachers know about any issues. Seeking treatment early can prevent minor problems from becoming season-ending injuries.
How PTs Get Creative in Evaluating Dancers–for ANY Style of Dance!
Every dancer is unique, and so is every injury. In the clinic, we focus on understanding the specific demands of your routines and styles.
For pointe dancers, for example, we might conduct a pointe shoe assessment. This involves analyzing how the shoe fits, how you move through it, and whether you’re achieving proper alignment over your foot.
Learn “Everything You Need to Know About Pre-Pointe Assessments” and how to “Find the Perfect Pointe Shoe” for your arch and strength on the Spooner Blog.
For other styles, video analysis can be incredibly valuable. Most competitions offer videotaping of performances, so a skilled PT can watch this – like how athletes watch “film” for sports – and see the imbalances or areas of weakness. In some cases, recreating certain movements in a clinic setting, like jumps or turns, can also help pinpoint the source of pain or discomfort.
This personalized approach ensures that treatment plans are tailored to the dancer’s needs, helping them recover and return to performing as quickly and safely as possible.
Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late
Competitive dance is tough, but injuries don’t have to bring down the curtain. Taking action the second an alarm sounds helps you stay in the spotlight, bring home the trophies, and most importantly, move and perform at your best.
To work with Kim, schedule an appointment at Spooner East Chandler.