Ballroom Dance

Tendonitis

What is it?

• Tendonitis is the swelling and irritation of a tendon. It is a painful condition that is felt in the place where the tendon attaches to the bone.

Physiology/Anantomy

Therapy

• Apply ice or cold pack when you feel pain and tenderness your joint(s).
• Take pain relievers if necessary.

It takes weeks or months for a tendon injury to heal.

What are the long term health affects?

• Though the problem can recur or be chronic (long term) in some people, it is most often short term, mainly if treated early.

What causes the injury?

• Individuals who make the same motions repeatedly without warming up.
• Examples of these movements are, swings, cha cha's, waltz and many more.

How to avoid injuries?

• You can warm up before dancing. These warm ups include leg stretches, inner thigh stretches and hamstring stretches.

A success story

• Heal the heel stated
• Mine: In 2011 I developed a tightness that went away after a thorough warmup but always returned in the morning. I ran through it, thinking it was not a big issue. It got worse and worse and within 3 months I was limping badly. I had tendonitis and bursitis. How did I get rid of it? 4 months of not running, using heel lifts for the first 3 weeks or so until the worst of the pain went away, aggressively massaging and rolling my calf, and alternating ice/heat to stimulate blood flow to the area. I started eccentric heel drops after one month. Almost 4 months to the date of stopping running, I woke up one morning and didn't limp when I walked to the bathroom. One of the best days of my athletic life. Read more: http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=5361979#ixzz49RTTOKv3

Muscle Spasms

What is it?

• Sudden contraction of a muscle
• A contraction in a muscle is when the tension generating sites are activated.
• Basically a cramp

Therapies

• Stop doing the activity
• Rest well and relax the muscle
• stretch/pain relievers/ice packs
• Talk to your doctor if the pain gets worse

How to avoid?

• Always be hydrated
• Have a diet full of essential nutrients
• Maintain flexibility

A success story

• Katerine is a 22 year old aspiring dancer, she has been practicing ballet since she was 5, however that does not mean that her body is used to the stress and pressure. At the age of 16, Katerine experienced a painful cramp while performing on stage. She did get throught the performance, painfully, but later had to visit her doctor because the pain just got worse, with simple medication and regular stretching her muscle spasm did heal but she is super careful with her diet and lifestyle today because she doesn't want anything coming in betweenher and her dreams.

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