Overview – Physical Therapy for Dancers in NYC
If you’re an experienced dancer, you probably understand how physically demanding and unique the activity is for participants. Dancing is unique in that it requires the use of your whole body and it uses a substantial amount of muscle strength and flexibility from your shoulders down to your toes. Every sport requires various amounts of strength, flexibility, and stability in specified parts of the body but dancing requires even more from its partakers. Usually, athletes can perform their actions within the normal limits of their body’s range of motion limitations. But dancing requires copious amounts of range of motion capabilities in order to perform at an optimal level. Dancing is truly, at its core, a full-body sport, and art.
Naturally, dancing will likely require a unique training and rehabilitation program when a participant suffers an unfortunate injury. If you’re looking for physical therapy for dancers in NYC, please contact Dr. Vitaly Dvoskin at Moving Forward Physical Therapy. Our rehabilitation program for dancers can help you by developing an individualized program that is right for you. Dr. Vitaly has served as the lead physical therapist for several Broadway associated dancers in the NYC area. His accomplishments include his connection with the stars of Spider-Man – Turn Off The Dark and Avenue Q – The Musical. For more information on Dr. Vitaly, please check out this video clip of one of his recent presentations.
What Types of Injuries Are Often Associated With Dancers?
Speaking to the uniqueness once again, dancers are not only athletes but they are also artists. In comparison to other sports that focus more on a performance level, dancers are more concerned about achieving excellent precision, presentation, clean movement, and body position. Dancing is an extremely physically demanding sport, but they also require sharpened flexibility for ideal performance. However, if they are lacking flexibility in one joint, this can result in overcompensation on another. This can catalyze injuries in the back, hips, knees, ankles, and feet.
What Are Three Causes Of Dance Injuries?
- Overuse – Constant and repetitive movements can place a ton of stress on the body, leading to the development of injury. Dancers are usually faced with a heavy demanding schedule – full of routines, practices, and deadlines. When small injuries happen, and you aren’t granted a proper healing time due to your schedule, this can result in overuse injuries such as tendonitis and even more severe complications such as bone fractures.
- Contact – As is the case with any athletic act, accidents are an unfortunate occurrence. On occasion, dancers may land a jump incorrectly, fall, or even miss an important step in their routine. This can cause serious injuries such as dislocation, fractures, sprains, and tears.
- Misuse – More commonly seen in younger/inexperienced dancers, misuse injuries happen when a participant isn’t yet fully aware of their body’s limitations. Performing with improper technique can lead to eventual misuse and thus, injury.
Fatigue is a contributing factor in the development of just about any complications. Dancers must allow their bodies to experience a fair amount of rest. This allows them to achieve the highest performance level that they are capable of attaining.
How Do Dancers Deal With Injury? Why Physical Therapy Can Help!
Physical therapy for dancers in NYC with Moving Forward PT and Dr. Vitaly could be a vital cog in your dancing injury rehabilitation. Because there’s an abundance of injuries that can occur as a result of dancing, a physical therapist can identify the root cause of injury and help develop a plan for recovery. By receiving a full body evaluation, a physical therapist can look at the full picture and design a program that can help strengthen and prevent further injuries from reoccurring. Important factors that our physical therapist may evaluate could include any of the following:
- General posture.
- General body range of motion.
- Functional mobility (ex. evaluation of how a dancer performs squats, leg raises, or hip extensions).
- Strengthening in specific areas such as the hips, ankles, and abdominals (all necessary for optimal dancing performance).
A full body evaluation can identify the body’s limitations in strength, stability, flexibility, and mobility. This is all part of the physical therapy for dancers in NYC program offered here at Moving Forward Physical Therapy.
Like any bodily injury, the initial prevention efforts are critical. Because dancing requires a full body range of motion and exertion, physical therapy can strengthen and condition the target areas that are used while performing a dance routine. This helps to improve a dancer’s motion and body functionality.
Contact Dr. Vitaly And The Staff At Moving Forward Physical Therapy
If an injury is preventing you from achieving your dreams of becoming one of the top dancers in your area, or if you want to prevent injuries from altering your dance career, then contact us today at Moving Forward Physical Therapy. Our program featuring physical therapy for dancers in NYC will help you recover and get you back on your feet, performing the routines that you love!