How to Stay Injury Free
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At Positions Dance Studio, we take the health of our dancers very seriously. Although dance is a fun activity, it does require dancers to challenge themselves physically and emotionally. As much as we try to avoid them, sometimes injuries happen. As teachers, we want to ensure that we are doing all we can so that our dancers stay injury free this year. You will be happy to know that all of our teachers at Positions have re-committed to working smarter in the classroom this year, all to keep your dancers safe!
Our owner and director, Kelly Peckholdt, advises our teachers on all injury prevention strategies. Together they form a plan to minimize injuries in each class. Some of the methods they use are incorporating dynamic stretching, teaching older students about anatomy and kinesiology, using age and ability appropriate progressions, and by avoiding extreme stretching. Kelly also makes it a priority to bring in injury prevention experts from the Harkness Center to talk with students and parents about common dance injuries and how to avoid them. Our next workshop is October 25th, 2017.
In the meantime, we will leave you with a few quick tips to get your dancer off on the right foot:
Stay Hydrated: During a long night of dance, it is easy to forget to drink water. Make sure you talk with your dancer to take a sip or two in between classes. Doing so will keep your dancer's body working to full capacity all day long.
Stretch: Taking some time to stretch after a long night of dance is a great way to reduce muscle soreness and minimize injury. We love rolling out our sore muscles with a foam roller or tennis ball. Just make sure your dancer warms up a few minutes beforehand.
Rest: Your dancer needs rest after a long week of dance. It is such an important part of staying injury free that you should build in a day or two of it into your normal schedule. Also, if your dancer starts to feel a new pain, the best thing they can do is rest for a couple days. Dancing through pain can cause further injury and keep your dancer out for a longer period of time.
Keep teachers informed: Make sure to alert teachers of ANY injury or pain, big or small.
Do you have any questions about keeping your dancer injury free this year? Please let us know. We would love to see you at the Injury Prevention Workshop put on by the Harkness Center on October 25th from 7:00-8:30pm. Parents and students are both welcome to attend ($10/person).