Treating Dance Injuries and Improving Performance

Written By Kate Stashko
Dancer wearing blue body suit and skirt jumps in the air in front of a black and white city backdrop.

Physiotherapy can be very beneficial for dancers, whether it is recovering from an injury or preventing one. Maybe you aren't sure if Physio is for you, how it can help, or how to find the right Physiothearpist for you. Here are answers to a few common questions about Physiotherapy for dancers.

Ehryn Crane performs hands-on physiotherapy treatment on an injured knee in downtown Edmonton

What is it?

Physiotherapy is often a combination of exercises, hands-on techniques, and using various approaches to help with pain management. It's a multi-faceted treatment plan catered just for you. It helps you return to, or improve your performance in, your cherished activities - in this case, dance!

Who needs it?

Anyone who dances will tell you - it is a challenging physical activity! And sometimes, injuries happen.

Common dance injuries your physio can help you recover from:

  • ankle sprains

  • tendinopathies

  • muscle strains

  • thumb sprains

  • joint subluxations or dislocations

  • knee sprains

  • patello-femoral pain


Physiotherapists can also help you with conditions that develop because of over training, inefficient movement patterns or muscle imbalances.

Ashley Cripps treats an ankle sprain while wearing a grey shirt and black pants at Corona Station Physical Therapy- a Physiotherapy clinic in downtown Edmonton

Preventative Maintenance and Improving Performance

Maybe you don't have an injury or pain, but you are looking to identify inefficient movement patterns, discrepancies in range of motion and strength, or postural habits that could be impacting your performance.

Physiotherapy can help you gain knowledge about your own movement patterns, and give you the tools to bring out your best dancing.

Recovery

Dancers are athletes, and athletes need recovery strategies! Physiotherapy offers several ways to help with this, including soft tissue work, cupping, needling and taping.

How is this different from regular Physiotherapy?

Any Physiotherapist can help you meet your goals as a dancer, but of course it helps to have a Physiotherapist who understands the demands of dancing on the body, and the pressures dancers face, both in performance and training.

Kate Stashko wears a black shirt in front of a white desk at Corona Physio, where she works as a Physiotherapist. Kate Stashko also is a wonderful professional dancer in Edmonton, Alberta.

About The Author

Kate Stashko is a professional dancer and Physiotherapist in Edmonton, AB. Having experienced a significant injury herself, she understands what recovery for dancers is like on both a personal and professional level.


Written by: Kate Stashko, MScPT, STOTT® Pilates Certified Instructor

Kate Stashko
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