But Isn’t Being a Dancer Supposed to Hurt?

A few years ago, I was working with a dancer who was experiencing knee pain. As a part of her care plan, we had agreed that she would temporarily stop doing the things that most aggravated her pain- specifically jumps and leaps, while we sorted out her issue and helped her get strong enough to jump and leap again without pain.

Then, at one of her follow-up visits, she said that she was having pain again while doing leaps across the floor. I asked her if she stopped leaping when she felt the pain, and she said “No.” No? So, I asked “Why not?” She then shared that she kept going because her dance instructor had said something to the effect of…

“When you’re a professional, you’re just going to have to work through the pain.”

Have you ever heard something similar? I have seen that lots of dancers have- it’s like we believe that pain is a prerequisite for progress. I believe that it is so much a part of our heritage that it is really difficult to listen to anyone or anything that tries to tell us differently.

The pressure that dancers feel to perform at their highest capacity- even if it causes pain or injury- only adds to the intensity of this mindset. Pressure may come directly from instructors or coaches who are looking to have you performance or competition ready, like NOW. However, it can just as easily come from our minds... from the ideas we concoct that say we need to be perfect, beautiful, skilled, artistic, motivated, cooperative, and agreeable at ALL times in order to be successful dancers. Case in point: when I recently asked another dancer client what her definition of success was, she replied, “Dancing full out, all the time, in as many classes and performances as I want, with no pain, ever.” Can you relate?

Here’s the problem: We aren’t actually in charge. Our bodies are. Each time we ignore serious pain… Each time we feel we must be perfect… Each time we believe that we have to hurt ourselves to get better… We are fighting a fight that we can’t win.

Pain doesn’t lead to progress- at least not directly. Dancers who are in pain don’t dance bigger, more beautifully, or more confidently. They actually wither as their bodies try to protect themselves from worsening pain or injury. They get weaker, more unsteady, more fatigued, tighter, and less powerful. Pain is a real signal that something is going wrong- a sign that your body needs some help to overcome a problem. Progress doesn't happen until you face the real problem and address it. 

Now if you’ve been dancing for any period of time, you probably know that I don’t mean that dancing should never be uncomfortable, challenging, or difficult. That muscle burn during conditioning or the soreness you feel in your muscles for a couple for days after a tough class? They are indeed part of the package. The emotional pain of not being placed in a class, intensive,  or performance that you were hoping for? That’s part of being a dancer, too. The personal difficulty of giving your time to classes, rehearsals, and performances when you might prefer to be lounging on the couch or hanging out with friends? You got it. These are all parts of the rigor of dance training. They build you up to be a stronger, better, and more dedicated dancer.

However, severe or persistent pain that limits your ability to dance how you would normally be able to is not normal, not healthy, and not productive.

There may come a day, when your paycheck is riding on it, that you choose to ignore a nagging pain and continue with a rehearsal or performance that is expected of you, despite the danger that you may worsen your pain or get injured. That will be your choice to make on that day. But if that day isn’t here yet- if you are still a student, if you are in training, if you have any flexibility in your life or options, and if you are not ready to give up dancing for the sake of your next rehearsal or performance… please don’t. Please do take care of yourself. Take the time and get the help you need to get healthy and dancing well again.

Don’t spend now what you hope to have in the future. Your dancing is worth more than that… and so are you.

5 Ways To Keep Injury From Ruining Your Dance Career

Many dancers fear injury, and worse, avoid fully addressing their pain or injury once it's happened. Unfortunately, this avoidance can escalate an injury and prolong pain, which makes the recovery process even more difficult. Having a focused and thoughtful approach to injury recovery can help you keep injury from ruining your dance career and can even help you become a stronger and healthier dancer. 

As I look forward to presenting at summer dance intensives for both Dancenter North and Millennium Dance Center this week, I am sharing my hands-down best advice possible to help you heal well after injury so you can keep your dancer career alive and thriving. I have seen these basic practices help many dancers get and stay healthy- I hope they will help you, too.

SEEK MEDICAL ADVICE. 

Many dancers avoid seeing a doctor or physical therapist because they fear being told to stop dancing. The problem is, NOT addressing a problem doesn’t make it go away- it makes it worse. If you are injured or in pain, get it checked out and don’t stop until you get the care you need to fully recover. The time you think you might lose from seeking care is nothing compared to the time you stand to lose if you don't get the help you need now. So, go out and...

FIND HELP THAT MEETS YOUR NEEDS.

Find a physician and/or therapist that will listen fully to your concerns and who will address them to your satisfaction. If your goal is to continue dancing, your doctor or physical therapist should do everything possible to help you do that. While finding the right person to help you can take some work, trying to recover from an injury completely on your own is even tougher. Don’t give up on yourself if you can’t get the answers you need- keep asking. 

DON’T OVERUSE ICE.

Ice can be helpful to reduce pain and swelling if you’ve overdone it. However, you should never need ice on a consistent basis. A much safer and more effective method of managing symptoms is to adjust how much and how hard you are dancing to a level that doesn’t cause you pain or swelling. Your dancing will actually progress much more quickly if you don’t have to spend so much time and effort recovering from it. 

STAY ACTIVE.

Movement is a critical part of the healing process. However, movement that puts you in pain or worsens your injury will not help you heal. Work with your physical therapist on ways that you can stay active and as safe as possible while you recover. If your doctor has not recommended physical therapy, ask for it. 

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. 

While some aches and pains are a normal part of the experience of pushing your body to its limits, pain that is persistent or keeps you from moving and dancing normally should be addressed as quickly as possible. Ignoring pain or thinking that you can just “work through it” puts you on the path toward more severe injury and more time lost from dancing. Your body is smart- it knows how to take care of you. Listen to it. 

Defining Success

When I am teaching a new exercise to a client, I often modify the exercise to better suit that client's individual needs. My clients sometimes protest my suggested change. They resist making the modification and ask me some form of the question, "But if I do it this way... I'm not really doing it, am I?" 

I get it. We are usually working with a physical therapist because something is going wrong and we want to do all the right things to help ourselves get better. Doing an exercise with textbook form may seem like the right thing to do. However, if we pursue perfection before our body is ready for it, we put ourselves on the fast track to pain city. On the other hand, to not do an exercise the way we think it's supposed be done feels like failure. 

At the heart of this problem lies a key question: How do we define success? Is success based on outcome... or action? Even though the ultimate goal of rehab is to return to doing everything we love to do (outcome), the best way to reach that goal might be to simply find ways to move without pain (action). We can't reach our destination without traveling the path that leads to it.

Today, I encourage you to release yourself from the expectation of a perfect outcome and, instead, celebrate the success of taking action. 

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Squat Success

Are you apprehensive about squatting because of knee pain or because you think that squatting may damage your knees? You are not alone. Although some people do experience knee pain when squatting, the squat itself is not to blame. 

A squat is simply a bending of the legs that brings our body closer to the ground. It's a worthwhile exercise because it helps us better able to reach things on the floor or under the counter, get up and down from chairs, and get up and down from the floor. Pain that occurs while squatting is most likely just a signal that our bodies need a little more help to be able to squat successfully. 

Please take a look at this video to learn how to find ways to build a more successful squat. 

Is a squat that doesn't conform to "correct squat form" still a squat? Yes! Is it still worth doing if it's not perfect? Yes!! Use this information to help you find a way of squatting that feels great to you. If you love squats and feel great doing them, please use these squat variations to build even more flexibility and strength. 

**Please do not continue any exercise that causes you pain or poses a risk to your safety. If pain is keeping you from moving normally or exercising, please seek individualized care from a physical therapist or physician so you can start feeling and moving better now.**  

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This post originally appeared as a part of Kinesi, LLC's biweekly newsletter, "Movement Matters." If you would like to receive "Movement Matters" via email, please subscribe here. Thanks for reading!