4 Common Injuries in Dance

Dance is a demanding physical activity that requires grace, physical strength/flexibility, and stamina.  As dancers, we tend to spend many hours perfecting our craft, which can lead to unwanted injury.  Here are four common injuries many dancers face.  

Femoroacetabular Impingement Syndrome (FAI)

This syndrome occurs within the hip joint.  The hip joint is a ball and socket joint, in which the top of the thigh bone or femur rests within a cup-like socket.  FAI occurs when there is more bone growth than normal causing bone to rub against bone, creating friction and wear/tear on the joint.  During dance, there is more movement at the hip joint that is repetitive.  With a shallow hip socket due to unusual bone growth, this friction can lead to damage within the joint.  However, physical therapy can help to reduce pain related to this type of syndrome.  A dance physical therapist can help you to regain motion in the hip joint and to build strength and flexibility to avoid future injury.

Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome 

This syndrome occurs at the knee joint and is also known as “jumper’s knee” or “runner’s knee”.  The knee joint consists of the thigh bone (femur) articulating with the shin bone (tibia) and knee cap (patella).  Patellofemoral pain syndrome often causes pain around the front of your knee especially during squatting, jumping, or running activities.  In a healthy knee, the patella will naturally glide along the femur as you bend and straighten your knee.  If the structures holding your patella in place are either too tight or too loose, the patella will rub along the femur causing friction, leading to wear and tear along the protective cartilage of the joint.  This can result in poor mechanics of the knee joint and ultimately result in pain. A dance physical therapist can help to provide exercises to strengthen the surrounding muscles that support the knee joint. They can also provide manual treatment to help the patella to properly glide along the femur.  

Achilles Tendinopathy

This injury occurs at the ankle joint, along the Achilles tendon.  The Achilles tendon is the strong band you feel, connecting your heel bone to your calf muscle.  If this tendon becomes inflamed, it can cause pain, swelling, stiffness, and irritation.  This type of injury usually occurs with repetitive movements such as jumping and releves in dance but can also occur with a sudden injury.  The symptoms that you may experience with Achilles tendinopathy include pain with movement, swelling, thickening of the tendon, and tender to the touch.  A dance physical therapist can help to relieve your pain, restore the range of motion of the ankle, and increase strength in the surrounding muscular tissue.  

Ankle impingement 

This injury occurs at the ankle joint.  Ankle impingement occurs when there is pinching of tissue at the ankle between the shin bone (tibia) and the talus.  It can occur at either the front of the back of the ankle.  Pinching of the tissue can lead to irritation, inflammation, and pain.  Common symptoms of ankle impingement include pain on the front or back of the ankle joint, a feeling of ankle instability, decreased movement at the ankle joint, and pain at end ranges such as pointing your toes.  A dance physical therapist can help you to restore movement, increase stability of your ankle musculature, and to ultimately relieve your pain. 

If you find yourself injured as a dancer and/or if any of these injuries sound familiar to you, please contact a local health care professional such as a dance physical therapist to provide you with the care you need and deserve.  Schedule today with Dr. Sarah Troicky at Trinity Physical Therapy and Wellness.