7 common dance injuries and how to avoid them - Greenwood (2023)

While it may look simple and elegant, dancing is a physically demanding, high-impact sport. It requires strength, flexibility and endurance. Dancers spend countless hours repeating the same movements over and over to achieve that graceful perfection that makes them so fascinating to watch.

Unfortunately, the physical demands of dancing make dancers very susceptible to injury. Dancers often suffer from stress fractures to sprains as they try to improve their craft. Not only are these injuries painful, but they can render a dancer unable to perform for extended periods of time. Keep reading to learn the 7 most common dance injuries and what you can do to avoid them.

1. Ankle sprains

Ankle sprain is the most common acute injury suffered by dancers. They happen when something forces the ankle out of its normal range of motion, tearing or overstretching the ligaments around the ankle. This can happen when ankle fatigue occurs, a dancer loses balance, or during a dance error. Pain from a sprained ankle is immediate, and in severe cases, the ankle can become swollen or injured.

How can dancers prevent sprains?

If you've sprained your ankle in the past, you're more likely to sprain it again in the future, so be aware of the possibility of re-injury. To prevent sprains, work on strengthening the muscles used to stabilize the ankle. Four-way ankle exercises can help strengthen these muscles, and focusing on strengthening your hips can help you relieve stress on your ankles while dancing.

2. Achilles Tendinitis

The Achilles tendon is the largest tendon in the body, and dancers rely heavily on it. Achilles tendonitis is an overuse injury that causes the Achilles tendon to become inflamed. This condition comes on gradually, with pain and swelling at the back of your heel when you try to dance. You may feel better after warming up, but the pain will get worse if you dance. It can develop into tight calf muscles and a limited range of motion.

How Can Dancers Prevent Achilles Tendonitis?

This is an overuse injury, so if you start to experience Achilles tendon pain or stiffness, one of the best precautions is to gradually exercise at higher levels and reduce your schedule. You should also stretch the Achilles tendon parallel to the foot and strengthen the muscles that support the feet and ankles so that certain movements don't put as much stress on the Achilles tendon.

3. "Trigger finger" (tenosynovitis of flexor hallucis longus)

Trigger finger is another common injury among dancers. Due to the stress placed on the big toe during some dance styles, the tendon that controls it (the flexor hallucis longus) can become inflamed and injured, making it difficult or impossible to flex the toe. Trigger toe pain comes on gradually and makes running very painful. Your toe may be difficult or impossible to flex and feel like it's stuck.

How can dancers avoid trigger finger?

Trigger finger can be avoided by taking care to practice good foot posture and not grinding your toes to stress pointy feet. You can also stretch the flexor hallucis longus tendon by rolling the arch of your foot into a ball.

4. Ankle impact

Ankle impingement is another overuse injury that dancers often suffer from. It consists of pinching the tissue on the front or back of the ankle. Anterior impingement feels like pinching in front of the ankle when at the bottom of a plié. Posterior impingement feels like a pinch on the back of the ankle when the toes are pointed. Both types cause pain that comes on gradually, decreased range of motion, and ankle tenderness to touch.

How can dancers prevent ankle impingement?

Ankle impingement is most likely to occur after an ankle sprain. So work with a physical therapist to restore your ankle stability if you've sprained it. You should also practice proper technique and make sure you stretch your Achilles tendon.

5. Hip fitting

Snapped hip syndrome actually causes an audible pop when you do footwork. The snap comes from a tendon that quickly crosses the hip joint during movement. It can appear on the back, front or side of the hip. The crisis does not hurt at first, but it becomes painful over time.

How can dancers avoid hip tears?

A popping hip is usually caused by tension in the muscles and tendons that surround the hip. To avoid this, you can use a foam roller to stretch your hip flexors, quadriceps, IT band, and glutes. You can also strengthen your glutes and core to support these muscles and hamstrings.

6. Hip impingement

Hip impingement occurs when something prevents the ball hip joint from moving smoothly, painlessly and freely. This could be anything from arthritis, labral tear, stress fracture, muscle strain, hip syndrome, sacroiliac joint dysfunction or piriformis syndrome. It may start out as just a dull ache, but it will get worse over time. This condition usually causes tightness in the thigh, hip or groin and the inability to flex the hip beyond a certain point. You may also experience groin pain after bending your hip. Pain in the hip, groin, or lower back can occur at rest or while dancing.

How can dancers prevent hip impingement?

Use a foam roller to stretch your hip flexors, quadriceps, IT band and glutes. You can also strengthen your glutes and core to support your hips.

7. "Jumper's knee" (patellofemoral pain syndrome)

Jumper's knee is a stretch of the patellar tendon, which runs from the bottom of the kneecap to the top of the tibia. This condition causes pain in the front of the knee when landing from a jump, using stairs, or sitting with the knee bent for long periods of time. It is an overuse injury that occurs gradually and gets worse over time. It is usually caused by muscle imbalances such as tight hamstrings and calves along with weak quadriceps that put too much stress on the patellar tendon.

How can dancers prevent jumper's knee?

To avoid bouncing your knees, focus on strengthening your core and hips to support your knees. Use a foam roller to stretch your hip flexors, quadriceps, IT band and glutes.

General tips for preventing dance injuries

As with any sport, listening to your body and getting enough rest is important when you dance. Overtraining always backfires in the form of fatigue and injury, so don't push yourself beyond reasonable limits. Pain is your body's way of telling you that something is wrong, so you should never try to push past pain that feels excessive or unusual. This will only lead to more injuries, which will mean more downtime in the end. Always consult your physician if you have any concerns. In particular, call your doctor right away if you notice any of the following:

• pain at night
• Pain at the start of training
• Pain that gets worse with activity
• Pain that causes you to change the way you dance, walk, sit, stand, or move in general

If you are suffering from the pains mentioned above, don't wait to see a doctor. If possible, try to find a doctor with experience treating dancers. They can assess your pain, decide if additional tests or x-rays are needed, and create a treatment plan to get you back on the dance floor safely.

An ounce of prevention is worth years of merry dancing

Injury prevention is the key to a long, enjoyable and healthy dance career. Above all, be sure to practice proper form, listen to your body, and avoid overtraining. All dancers suffer injuries at some point, but working to minimize those injuries will ensure that you can keep dancing year after year.

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