Dance Injury Prevention.
Dance injuries should be about more than just management. Prevention is key to every high performing artist or athlete. At Made To Move, our goal is to keep you doing what you love at your full potential.
Preventing injuries involves active care. This active care can look very different from patient-to-patient, but involves some sort of exercise prescription to improve balance, endurance, flexility and overall function and performance. .
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Athletic Movement Assessment?
Athletic Movement Assessment is a systematic approach to assessing functional movement patterns. “Strategies” are investigated and examined to look at how movement patterns can be improved and addressed to prevent common athletic injuries.
Why does a dancer need injury prevention?
Dancers are known for repeating full range of motion skills in order to master technical movement patterns. During this repetition, dancers are susceptible to repetitive-strain type injuries as well as over-use injuries. If a movement pattern is even slightly irritating a structure of the body, and then repeated over and over for hours, it can lead to increasing damage, and then compensation by supporting musculature. By improving movement, stability, and technique, we decrease risk of these issue arising.
I take conditioning class (stretch & strength), how is a visit to Made To Move different?
At Made To Move we combine our experience teaching dance and acrobatics with our clinical expertise to give you a fresh perspective on injury prevention strategies. We also use our experience seeing patient after patient go from the acute injury phase through the healing process using active care rehabilitation exercises.
Are there factors than can make dancers more susceptible to injury?
Yes! Each situation is different, but that is part of your treatment plan. Every patient gets ongoing education on ways to improve their experience in the studio and on stage. We strive to empower our patients to truly understand every aspect of each appointment, why we are doing what we are doing, and how it relates to their body and their goals.
Why is Functional Range Conditioning so useful in dance injury prevention?
Functional Range Conditioning (FRC) focuses on end-range neurological control. When our joints are at their end-range, they are can be more susceptible to injury. For example, the ankle joint (mortise) is most mobile in terms of bone congruency when plantarflexed (pointed in ballet). This means we require more muscular stability at this range to prevent injuries. FRC focuses on the control and stability in these extreme ranges which makes it so useful for dancers in particular!