Injuries

Whenever somebody questions the athleticism of dance, I simply show them my battle scars. Ballet leaves little visible scars - most of the damage is invisible, hidden in the overstretched tendons, torn ligaments, and rolled ankles left behind by poor technique. The dry, cracked, and red feet left in the wake of hours and hours of rehearsals in pointe shoes could also serve as a testament to the high tolerance for pain most dancers possess.

Yet, when I started modern, a whole new set of visible injuries started to appear. I do not leave modern class without at least one knee bruise but, more often than not, two knee bruises. We work our bodies symmetrically, you know. Last week's class incorporated a move where we spun our bodies around on our sides, walking our legs in a circle. There is a nice, blue and purple bruise on my right shoulder where said spinning occurred. Since I have terrible problems translating movement from my right to my left side, my left shoulder is pristine. Similar bruises appear from plough rolls and various kinds of throws to the ground. Expulsion falls usually turn my hip bones interesting colours. For some reason, I found a bruise on the left side of my sacrum. I must have laid on someone else's toe - I can't think of any other reason for a bruise in such a place!

Bruises are hardly serious and they leave after a while (except the permanent knee bruises) so I pay little attention to such injuries. Last week in ballet, however, I was having an increasingly hard time pointing my left foot. The ankle feels okay to stand on most of the time, but stretching the front tendon hurts like a mother. Similarly, soutenus and relevees are quite painful, though flexing the foot does not hurt. Stretching my IT band ("runner's stretch") also hurts my ankle along the radial side of my calf. Tendonitis, I wonder? A dancer does not mess with their ankles. I am paying a visit to a physiotherapist, just in case.

Also, I seem to have shoulders that frequently pop in and out of my shoulder girdle. I have seen a physiotherapist about this problem and it seems that half of my humeral head likes to dislocate on occasion. Maintaining good posture constantly and lying on a rolled up towel was recommended, though I still have problems from time-to-time.

Most recently, I have been having hip-popping problems. These are not so painful as they are annoying and, I am told, the foreshadowing of pain to come. Unfortunately, I am rather unfamiliar with the idea of seeking medical treatment for injuries because I have always been of the "take it like a man" attitude. But dancing is a whole body activity and requires a healthy, strong, uninjured body for optimal performance. My tendus will never improve if I can't even stretch my foot at the barre without wincing in pain. Plus, my body has carried me through so many experiences. It's time I start treating it right.

Time to see the physiotherapist, I suppose. If anyone has any recommendations for any of the aforementioned problems, give me a shout. I need all the help I can get.