• November 18, 2021

Prehabilitation and Injury Prevention

a dancer weight strengthening to prevent injury

Prehabilitation and Injury Prevention

Prehabilitation and Injury Prevention 1024 683 Positive Energy Physical Therapy

Cross Training to Prevent Dance Injuries

How to Lower Risk of Injury

When picking up a box that is too heavy, your risk of injury is much greater than when picking up a box that is light. If your strength does not meet the demand, your chance for injury is significant. How do you change that risk threshold? How do you lower your chances for injury?

Get stronger

Dancers are athletes, often with excellent body awareness and the ability to achieve extraordinary tasks while making them look effortless. However, the rate of lower extremity injuries among dancers is high. This can change by dancers strengthening through cross-training.

To get stronger, the external load needs to be increased. Using the box example, to be able to lift a heavy box, you need to train with something heavier than your body weight.

Unlike football players who spend time as a team in the weight room, most dancers don’t have access to such tools and classes. To make positive changes, dancers can add non-dance specific exercises, such as weight training, to improve:

  • Balance
  • Muscular Power
  • Strength
  • Endurance
  • Coordination

Where to start?

Using screening tools and strength testing, your physical therapist can identify which areas need attention and from which cross-training exercises you would most benefit. If you would like to schedule a consultation with Positive Energy’s physical therapist who specializes in dance, please let us know.

dancer doing leg press to build strength and prevent injuries