After performing for National Day Concert 2024 at Gardens by the Bay, I’m feeling a little extra patriotic this year (leftover hype from the show maybe?). So in light of National Day, let’s do something a little different – NDP songs meets dance rehab!
Not Alone
Don’t know where to go / How do I stand when it’s time
The rehab journey can often feel isolating and leaves many dancers feeling vulnerable, with a fear of going “full out”, or a fear of making their injury worse. With new injuries, there is the dreaded question of “will I ever dance again?”
(short answer: yes)
Some major worries that dancers often have are:
- I won’t be able to dance at the same level I was at pre-injury
- I’m going to be replaced (in the company/troupe)
- If I take time off, I’m going to be out of shape
- People are going to call me lazy
First thing to do is simple – see a physio and get diagnosed. We need to know what injuries we are dealing with, before we can give recommendations on how to modify routines and incorporate rehab into your day-to-day.
As a dancer, I get why many of us would hope for quick fixes so we can resume dancing ASAP, but that’s not always possible especially if we’re dealing with muscle strains or tendon-related conditions. Which is why as a physio, I (or we at Activex) try our best to keep performers in their regular training routine as much as possible, and we only modify movements that would need more rehab focus for the time being.
Stronger Together
And I’m finding ways doing all I can / To be bigger than my fears
I cannot emphasise this enough – strength training is so important. Even dancers who are not dealing with active injuries will find benefit in cross-training (see our older articles on strength training for dancers). The stronger the dancer, the more room they have to explore their movement range, and hence making them more versatile dancers.
In dance rehab, we start with building strength in a controlled range, before adding specific strength training for end-range strength. This is especially useful for dancers who need to utilise extreme ranges of movements. Muscular strength supports joint alignment and increases position stability. With end-range strength, the dancer can trust their body’s ability to move safely in end-range movements, and have better flexibility and control as well.
When rehabilitating dance injuries, we also take into consideration the mechanism of injury e.g. muscle strain from doing a front kick vs muscle strain from initiating a jump. We have to incorporate exercises targeting those movements to ensure that the affected muscle or joint will be able to handle variations of such moves in future, and also to reduce the dancer’s psychological fear of performing that move.
The Road Ahead
Come whatever on the road ahead / We did it before, and we’ll do it again
Most rehab journeys follow 4 phases:
- Pain Management
- Strengthening
- Dynamic Loading
- Return to Performance
There might be slight overlap between the tail end of the previous phase and the beginning of the next phase, but we always want to make sure that new movements are done safely and with close monitoring so overall progress is an upward trend.
The first 2 phases of rehab are when rehab exercises will look nothing like what dancers normally perform in class or rehearsals. (Remember when you saw people doing the weirdest moves in one corner of the gym? Yeah, that’s gonna be you.) During this period, we work closely to ensure the relevant muscles are being targeted, and also figure out methods for dancers to maintain cardiovascular endurance so there will be less of a gap when returning to full dance schedules.
Once strength is established, that’s when we can move on to agility or speed-focused drills to make sure the injured area(s) are capable of handling various challenges in rehearsal and on stage. Dynamic loading is when we get to start movements that look more like techniques you’d see in dance class, but still with a rehab focus to work on aspects of performance that have been affected by the injury.
Preparing for return to performance is when we throw everything but the kitchen sink at the dancer, to challenge both mental and physical aspects because any hesitation or fear in rehearsals and performance can increase the risk of injury. Cardiovascular and muscular endurance are key things to include in this phase of rehab as well.
We Will Get There
Look where we are, we’ve come so far / And there’s still a long, long way to go
We usually see clients go from:
(1) worry, anxiety, devastation when getting diagnosed, to
(2) frustration during the initial phase of rehab, before
(3) starting to be excited about their rehab and embracing the whole learning experience once strength and mobility start returning
Fair warning: DO NOT skip the last stage of rehab even though pain is gone and you feel ready to perform – this is a really important phase because it makes a huge difference in risk of the injury recurring.
Reaching the end stage of rehab has an interesting impact on a dancer’s psyche. It’s usually a mix of “I’m finally back to dance!” and “Can I really do this?”. Confidence has to be rebuilt, and that’s through rehab drills plus easing the dancer back into classes and rehearsals. Full-time dancers should expect to start at roughly 50% intensity and gradually build up their tolerance from there. This is when muscle imbalances or previous weaknesses might appear more obviously, so it’s a good time to take this chance and work on those weaknesses.
Reach Out For The Skies
Our dreams we’ll all achieve / We’ll make our destiny
Gone are the days when injuries would be considered career-ending. Dancers have more access to healthcare, nutrition, strength and conditioning strategies, mental health support, which all come together to prolong a dancer’s lifespan. Look at USA’s Women’s Team Gymnasts’ performance at the recent Paris Olympics – they took time off to recover when needed, and came back stronger than ever.
As dancers and performers, your body is your instrument. Take good care of it and there’s so much you can achieve as long as you’re willing to put in the work. Your physios are here to help with the rehab portion, and you just need to keep reminding yourself of what you’re working towards. Don’t limit yourself – plenty of people will try to do that for you. Here’s to dancing for as long as physically possible!
Not forgetting the inspiration for this post’s theme,
