8 Injury Prevention Exercises for Dancers

injury prevention exercises

8 Injury Prevention Exercises for Dancers

One of our dancers’ most consistently asked questions is about injury prevention and injury prevention exercises. 

And, I get it. When we get injured we go to a physical therapist or doctor and they give us exercises to help us heal and prevent further (or future) injury. From this perspective, it seems fair to ask for injury prevention exercises as if there is a list of magic exercises to stave off getting hurt. But the truth is, that injury prevention exercises vary depending upon sport, injury tendencies, and body parts. 

So, instead of listing for you the thousands upon thousands of injury prevention exercises that exist. We thought we’d give you a list of 8 injury prevention practices (exercises) that you can incorporate into your life to prevent injury overall. 

 

  • Stop Parallel Training and Start Cross-Training

Say it with me, 

“If my workout looks and feels like dance, it probably is dance.” 

No, I’m not saying that Carol who takes barre classes once a week is a dancer, but what I am saying is that taking barre classes is not cross-training, it’s just more training. 

According to the National Institute of Health, at least 50% of sports-related injuries are due to overuse. 

We all know we can’t just not go to rehearsal or stop taking dance classes. So, how do we prevent overuse injuries? Well, we start cross-training. It may be fun to pop into a barre class or practice shoulder presses while balancing on a bosu-ball – but those things aren’t supporting your body as a dancer. In fact, they’re likely just exhausting already tired muscles. 

Instead, give those muscles something new to do and try training in ways that look completely different from dance.

As mentioned above, resistance training is a great way to prevent injury and cross-train. We believe a some of these basic cross-training moves so much we wrote, Cross Training for Dancers: Mastering the Basics. Give it a read and ask yourself, 

What am I doing that rounds out my training?”

 

  • Weight Training (Resistance training)

One of the best ways to prevent injury is to practice resistance training. According to the American College of Sports Medicine, resistance training helps to level out any muscular imbalances in the body. Many injuries are linked to these imbalances. Therefore, practice resistance training > level out muscular imbalances > prevent injuries linked to imbalances. 

What’s more, strong muscles support healthy joints. Resistance training is an excellent way to build stability and strength. If you strengthen the muscles around the joints, your knees, shoulders, ankles, and hips, will have the support they need to do whatever you ask of them. 

 

  • Dynamic Stretching

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again, static stretching (getting into a position and holding yourself there) is not the way to better battements. While static stretching can increase the range of motion, that’s pretty much all it does. 

On top of that, static stretching before physical activity will actually decrease your power. Who wants less power before an audition or going on stage?

Instead, we recommend opting for dynamic stretching. Dynamic stretching is movement-based stretching. Rather than getting into a position and staying there. Dynamic stretching forces you to move through your end range of motion and back; activating your core, breathing, and muscles. 

As for injury prevention exercises, a lot of them fall into the category of dynamic stretching. Hamstring flosses are a great example of this!

 

  • Myofascial Release (foam rolling, balls, etc)

Do you have tight ankles? When was the last time you rolled out your calf muscle? 

Tight calves can lead to all kinds of injuries from ankle issues to plantar fasciitis to Achilles tears. And calves aren’t the only muscle group that deserves to get some love. 

Self-myofascial release has been scientifically shown to improve muscle relaxation, improve joint range of motion, improve neuromuscular efficiency, and reduce soreness.

Better neuromuscular efficiency means your brain and body will communicate better – giving you more control over your performance or workout. Not only that, but it ensures the proper muscles will fire when you ask them to!

The benefits of myofascial release last anywhere from 15-30 minutes so it’s the perfect injury-prevention exercise to add to your warm-up!

personal training for dancers

  • Warm up & Cool Down

Studies show that warming up before physical activity increases performance. But priming our muscles to fire accurately and efficiently during exercise prevents injury. 

Warming up warms up your muscles (duh!) loosens your joints, and increases blood flow to your muscles. This increased blood flow and neuromuscular preparation makes it less likely for muscles to twist or tear during exercise. 

As for cooling down, I think we can all admit this is likely one of the most overlooked injury prevention exercises out there. But cooling down after a workout is incredibly important. A cool-down signals to your body that it’s time to transition out of this dedicated time of stress and return to its normal function. 

Johns Hopkins goes as far as to say that your cool-down should be twice as long as your warm-up! That means 15-20 minutes to let your blood pressure fully return to normal.

 

  • Mobility Work

My physical therapist always says “joints like to move.” The best way to keep your joints happy is to keep them moving.

The best way to keep your joints moving? Support and strengthen their range of motion. 

Many injury prevention exercises are mobility drills. This is because mobilizing your joints can do a great deal for loosening tight muscles and strengthening those teenie muscles you might otherwise have a hard time accessing. 

Hip CARS, windshield wipers, ankle mobility lunges, hip tucks, and spider crawls are good examples of mobility exercises you can incorporate into your warm-ups and cool-downs. 

You can also start your day with a morning mobility flow to get your body moving gently. 

 

  • Rest & Recovery 

I know, I know. Every dancer hates to hear it. But giving yourself ample rest and recovery time is imperative to injury prevention. 

Honestly, I’d say getting adequate rest is one of the best injury-prevention exercises you can build into your routine. 

Rest days don’t have to be rot days. Studies have shown that taking active rest days between workouts increases progress by decreasing recovery time in muscle groups!

But rest isn’t only about the physical. Did you know there are actually 7 types of rest our bodies need? Physical rest is just one part of the injury prevention puzzle. Mental, emotional, creative, and spiritual rest are all deeply important to a healthy body. 

Don’t believe me? Read, What Is Rest, Really? 7 Types of Rest You Need to Understand to get the full download. 

If you’re physically or mentally spent, your odds of sustaining injury go WAY up. Learn how your body tells you it’s tired and start listening. 

 

  • Hydrate

Bottom line? Your body needs water to function optimally. Even just a small amount of dehydration can have negative effects on your physiological performance.

Staying hydrated helps your body handle stress (physical and mental) efficiently. So, keep those water bottles full and you’ll be in good shape. 

 

But What About Body-Specific Injury Prevention Exercises?

We want our dancers and athletes to be prepared for anything. That’s why we’ve written tons of blogs about preventing injury, recovering from injury, and more. 

Here’s a list of our best blogs chock-full of injury prevention exercises and injury recovery tools you can use to keep yourself performing your best. 

A Dancer’s Guide to Managing and Preventing Knee and Ankle Pain

Putting Your Best Foot Forward?: A Deep Dive Into Common Dance Injuries in the Foot and Ankle

What Not to Do With Plantar Fasciitis: Expert Advice for Dancers

Injury Recovery 101: The Do’s and Don’ts for Getting Back on the Stage Faster

9 Things Physical Therapists Want Dance Athletes to Know

4 Signs You Need A Rest Day

If you have more questions about injury prevention or, if you’re looking to train after recovering from injury, shoot us a message at dancerswholift@gmail.com or DM us on Instagram @dancerswholift! You might be a great fit for our Body Mechanics or Embodied Artist Program. Until then, we hope you found this helpful! Cheers to remaining injury-free!

 

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