Common Dance Injuries

All forms of dance combine artistry with strength, focus and athleticism. Among professionals and dedicated students, flexibility and agility are required, as well as hours of intensive training.

Dance might involve the whole body but heavily relies on the feet, legs and ankles. As such, years of intensive training and performance schedules place extensive wear on these areas and may have a rippling effect on the lower back, hips and knees.

In turn, serious dancers have elevated risks for repetitive motion injuries and fractures.

Injury Concerns for Dancers

Serious dancers take classes multiple times a week, in addition to hours of rehearsal before a performance. Professionals may also have hours of teaching as part of their busy schedule.

Long hours practicing often means going through similar motions that place stress on the lower body and can result in muscle strains. Unlike being on a sports team, dance practice doesn’t always include warmups, cool-downs or conditioning through dynamic movement. Also, dance is not a seasonal activity and companies, teams and advanced classes follow the same schedule all year.

These factors can:

• Place greater strain on the feet, legs and ankles, increasing risk for tendon injuries and fractures.
• Increase risk for an overuse injury, due to the activity’s repetitive nature. These injuries may affect the ankle, leg, foot or lower back.
• Worsen for dancers who follow a restrictive diet to maintain a lower body weight and might not be getting sufficient nutrients. These behaviors further affect how the muscles and bones rebuild tissue and can increase a dancer’s risks for fractures.

Potential Injuries

Both male and female dancers are susceptible to the following injuries.

Stress Fractures

Jumps and leaps cause the feet to repeatedly hit the hard floor. Over time, this force can create hairline cracks in the metatarsal, tibia, sesamoid or lumbar region of the spine, as well as other bones. Injury risks increase when a dancer suddenly adds more hours to their training, they don’t take breaks or follow a restrictive diet.

Knee Injuries

In addition to the force from jumping and landing on a hard, unresponsive floor, dancers frequently flex and twist their knees. These patterns lead to sprains, strains, patellofemoral pain syndrome or a meniscus tear involving the cartilage.

Shin Splints

Potentially confused with a knee injury, shin splints stem from improper form on landings or jumping on hard, unresponsive surfaces. Dancers start to experience pain in the front of their legs.

Lower Back Pain

Repeatedly flexing and extending the legs, a mix of poor balance and form, as well as stress from hard landings can cause back muscles to contract and tighten or contribute to a stress fracture.

Additionally, dancers may develop sacroiliac joint dysfunction, with pain radiating from the lower back to the pelvis, especially after a long class or rehearsal.

Foot and Ankle Problems

A dancer’s feet absorb the greatest amount of impact from jumps and landings, while bearing the stress of performing in point shoes. Long-term exposure to these conditions contributes to:

• Bunions and corns
• Jammed toes and trigger toes
• Tendonitis, particularly involving the Achilles tendon
• Ankle impingement
• Ankle sprains
• Tearing of the ligaments around the ankles
• A dancer’s fracture, which involves the foot’s fifth metatarsal
• Foot and ankle arthritis

Dancers have higher risks for these issues if they are not landing properly, their ankles roll out while balancing or they wear worn, poorly fitting shoes.

Hip Injuries

Repetitive motion, absorbing impact and extensions can lead to:

• Snapping hip syndrome
• Hip impingement, with the femur placing stress on the cartilage in the hip socket
• Labral tear
• Hip flexor tendonitis
• Bursitis

Preventing Dancer Injuries

Whether you’re a dance student, instructor or professional, you can reduce injury risks by:

• Warming up and cooling down after classes and rehearsals with stretches, Pilates, aerobics, stability exercises and cardio activities that increase heart rate and stamina.
• Ensuring you have a proper practice space, including a floor that provides a degree of impact absorption that’s free of slip and trip hazards, and offers enough space for dancers.
• Making sure you have properly fitting shoes that aren’t worn beyond wear.
• Taking a break and resting when you start to feel pain.
• Making sure you practice with proper technique and form.
• Watching your diet and getting nutrients that support muscle and bone health.
• Staying hydrated before, during and after class.
• Increasing your practice time gradually.
• Conditioning outside of class and rehearsals, including exercises focusing on whole-body strength and endurance.
• Applying ice if you feel pain or notice swelling. Follow RICE – rest, ice, compression, elevation – for a couple of days before applying heat. Avoid returning to practice until your injury is healed.

Are you recovering from a dance injury or exploring strategies to better condition your body? Turn to the physical therapists at Integrated Rehab! Contact us to learn more about our services.