4 Reasons Every Dancer Needs to See a Dance Physical Therapist
If you are a dancer, you know how physically and mentally demanding the art can be, despite making it look completely effortless during performances. The high demands of this artistic sport can lead to unwanted injuries. Having someone like a dance physical therapist skilled to help you work through your injury or to prevent injury from happening can be a valuable tool to help you have a lasting career as a dancer. Here are 4 reasons every dancer needs to see a dance physical therapist.
Understands Dance and the Dancer Body
Dancers move in a way that most athletes do not. A dance physical therapist knows more than just the basic movements of dance. Having a physical therapist that has a background in dance is critical for understanding the root cause of your injury. If you work with someone who understands how the body moves when dancing, they can pinpoint the exact movement that may be causing your pain and help to improve your mechanics to reduce the pain.
Screen you for Possibility of Future Injuries
Screening can be a valuable tool to help determine if a future injury will occur. A dance physical therapist knows specific dance positions that may reveal possible areas of injury during dance. By screening a dancer through a movement analysis, a physical therapist specializing in dance can give you the valuable tools to avoid future injury. These tools may include helping to change the mechanics and improve your technique, design an individualized wellness program to strengthen the proper muscles to help support your technique, and ultimately prevent future injuries from occurring.
Provides Post-Injury Care
As dancers we tend to do things repetitively which can lead to overuse injury. In the event that you do get injured, a dance physical therapist can help provide an exercise program designed to strengthen the proper muscles used for dance. Given the right tools, a dancer can increase strength and flexibility and become pain free. A dance physical therapist can hone in on the root cause of your injury and provide manual treatment to that area to help reduce pain symptoms.
Get you Back to Dancing More Effectively
Similar to post-injury care, a dance physical therapist can help you to reach your dance goals faster than a physical therapist who has little to no knowledge of dance. Maybe your goal is to get a higher developpe, or to nail that triple pirouette you’ve been working so hard on. A dance physical therapist can help get you there.
Finding a provider that specializes in physical therapy for dancers may be a challenge, but Dr. Sarah Troicky at Trinity Physical Therapy and Wellness is ready to help. Schedule an appointment today.