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By Megan Cornish, Myotherapist Calling all my fellow dancers! Regardless of what style you specialise in, as a dancer myself I am well aware that keeping our hips healthy whilst engaging in our sport can be challenging. This can be due to excessive load passing through the joint, the positional nature of the style (e.g. external rotation of hips in ballet) or repetitive strain over time. These external influences can sometimes lead to the development of overuse injuries of the hip or sudden onset injuries which can be painful and make it difficult to continue to participate in dance and other daily activities. So let's talk about common pathologies that can affect hips in dancers and how we can keep our hips happy and prevent injuries from occurring.  Common dysfunctions that can occur at the hip joint as a result of load, wear and tear and repetitive strain in dancers are progressive onset conditions such as cartilage degeneration, bone spurs, gluteal and hip flexor tendinopathy, and/or hip impingements. Sudden onset conditions can consist of an injury to a soft tissue such as labral tears, muscular strain and ligament and tendon tears or in severe cases a fracture to the bone itself. Regardless of the onset, any of the above pathologies can cause pain at the side, back or front of the hip as well as causing possible referral to other regions of the body, most commonly down the leg of the affected side or the lower back.
Although there are conditions that can occur at the hip joint, we can proactively do things to protect the healthy function of our hips and prevent issues from arrising. Dynamic Warm Up I'm sure we’ve all had our teachers take us through a high energy warm up routine before commencing each class and there is a good reason for this. Warming up our muscles prior to engaging in dance is super important to allow time for the soft tissues to get used to quick changes of direction and length which will prevent muscle strains and sprains. If you’ve ever done a fan kick and felt a quick pull in your hamstring you’ll know what I mean and your muscle was likely not warm enough to accommodate that movement safely. Cool Downs Cool downs after dance are just as important as warm ups when it comes to injury prevention and treatment of delayed onset muscle soreness. This gives muscle tissue time to return to their usual daily functions whilst increasing circulation and processing lactic acid build up from strenuous exercise. Strengthening Core This is an interesting one and is to do with muscular imbalances. When our core is weak there is less structural support happening through our lumbar spine and other muscles will overactivate to provide that stabilisation. Usually these will be muscles in our hamstring or hip flexor groups. When hamstrings and/or hip flexors overactivate, we get a recipe for potential complications at the hip joint so if we can share the amount of work these muscles have to take on with our core it can prevent that muscular imbalance from occurring. Have a look at your feet! Next time you are standing barefoot have a look down at your feet and see if you can observe any rolling inwards or outwards of the ankle. You can even try a mindfulness exercise where you close your eyes and take note of where you can feel the majority of your weight distribution is on the foot - can you feel it more on the outside of the foot? Is there more weight through your big toe? Your heel? Ect. Foot health can tell us a lot about what the hip is doing and can be a contributing factor to potential hip complications arising. Investing in supportive footwear throughout the day is highly recommended for us dancers as our pointe, jazz and/or tap shoes don’t always provide enough arch support which can affect our hips overtime. Don't push through pain My last point and arguably the most important is under no circumstances should you push through pain! Pain is your body’s way of letting you know that something isn’t quite right and therefore should never be ignored. My biggest piece of advice would be if you experience any pain, listen to your body, stop the movement causing pain, limit aggravating factors and get it assessed/ treated so that a cause can be identified and addressed before it worsens. Myotherapists are musculoskeletal experts who are experienced and qualified in treating a range of musculoskeletal conditions such as dancers hip! As a dancer myself and experiencing my own hip complications I am fully aware of the impact this can have on not only your ability to dance but complete daily activities and live comfortably. If you are a dancer of any style and are experiencing hip pain I highly encourage you to book an appointment so that we can get you back to moving the way you want to! Foot and heel pain can really impact your day. It can be a hard area to avoid aggravating through use and movement, for obvious reasons!  A very common cause of heel pain is a condition called Plantar Fasciitis. This is an inflammatory condition of the thick connective tissues of the heel and sole of the foot.
The sensation is usually described as a sharp, stabbing feeling directly under the heel. Its generally most painful first thing in the morning, or after resting for some time. Depending on the severity, this can last anywhere from a few moments, to being felt constantly throughout the day. It can be caused by an acute injury or strain to the plantar fascia, and can also develop over time. People who are on their feet for long hours can develop this foot pain, especially if they don't have good supportive footwear. Our bodies are pretty good at finding work arounds to keep us moving, so if you're experiencing plantar fasciitis, you may notice some compensation patterns like limping, reduced ankle mobility, taking smaller steps, or toe walking to avoid pressure to your heel. Short term, these compensation patterns are fine, but if the heel pain becomes chronic then these altered movement patterns can lead to other pains further up the body. What can be done about Plantar Fasciitis?
Do you need help with heel pain? Book in with our team so we can help you with a treatment plan. As we get into the party season over summer, you’ll be wearing heels and thongs instead of runners. But if you find that you start to get more aches and pains, your shoe choice might be to blame.  How shoes affect posture
The way that our feet hit the ground when we move has a massive impact on the joints and muscles of the body. And that means it affects our posture. When we wear heels, for example, our bodies tilt forward. The body tries to compensate in response, but the muscles and joints cop the strain. The weight of your body is held on the balls of your feet, instead of balanced between the balls and the heels. Your knees and hips move forward and your back flexes backward to maintain balance. Flats might not have the height issue, but they can also impact on the body. Flat shoes cause the weight to be mostly on the heels, so the lower body tries to compensate so we don’t fall backwards. Wearing flats constantly can mean our posterior chain – including the calves, hamstrings and glutes – can weaken from lack of use. Even thongs (or flip-flops, for non -Aussie consumers) can cause postural issues. They have been found to cause pain in the feet and even hips and lower back, due to the lack of support and altered gait (how you walk when wearing them). The real issue is that you have to grip the shoe with your toes, so they are overworked. Pain that can occur So if your shoes are altering the posture of your body, pain can often follow. Incorrect shoes can lead to issues including:
How to reduce it I’m sure all myotherapists and bodyworkers would prefer everyone wear sensible shoes 24-7! But that’s easier said than done. So if you think your shoes are potentially causing issues, here’s some small tweaks to reduce the issues:
Not ready to give up your heels or cute flats? I don’t blame you! So instead, let’s work together to counteract the muscle imbalances. Pop in for a 30 minute appointment, and we can get you back to feeling good. |
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