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.
