People who participate in any type of physical activity are prone to injury, and dance is no exception. Dance, and especially ballet, isn’t natural for the body, and it therefore puts a lot of strain on the muscles. The threat isn’t just for muscles, though, nor is it the biggest- tendons are actually the most serious and common injuries. Some dancers, myself included, often experience joint problems as well, from simple popping to serious pain that affect everyday life.
The areas that are most commonly injured are, predictably, in the legs. Pulled hamstrings are like the jammed fingers of the dance world, serious and painful but also common enough to be a nuisance. The small muscles in the foot are also susceptible to injury, as is the Achilles tendon and the hip flexor. The ankles, knees and hips are the joints that experience the most pressure, and are therefore most likely to get injured.
Another area prone to injury is the feet. Most of these injuries come from pointe work, which is honestly brutal. There’s a fairly common saying in the dance world, that if a dancer’s feet look nice, they aren’t really dancers. This has to do with the incredible amount of damage the feet have to deal with. Pointe work builds calluses, and also creates blisters and corns. In serious cases, toenails can become bruised, or even fall off. Many dancer’s feet have scars from Marley burns (like carpet burns, but caused on the dance floor), or really bad blisters.
Injury treatment goes along the same line as most athletics with the tried-and-true RICE method- rest, ice, compression and elevation. It’s important to immediately take care of any injury you may have before it becomes serious. This is easier said than done sometimes. One thing I’ve noticed- and not just in dance, but with many dedicated athletes as well- is that the seriousness of the injury is inversely proportionate to how big of a deal we make out of it. Dancer’s often give long-winded, whining complaints about minor aches and cramps, but the instant we pull a muscle, or sometimes worse, we shut up and keep on dancing like normal, which is really the worst thing you can do in those situations. Many dancers have had their careers ruined because they didn’t take care of what seemed like a minor injury. Really, there is no such thing as a minor injury, but so long as you’re careful, there should be nothing wrong.
