Safe Stretching for Dancers

Safe Stretching Practices for Dancers

As dancers, we are always trying to improve our flexibility. Online videos and social media have added to the desire for greater ranges of motion, compromising safety and alignment to achieve extreme positions and contortions of the body. Many factors influence a dancer’s flexibility including age, body structure, genetics, gender, bones, muscles, ligaments, nerves, and…

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Shall We Dance? The Health Benefits of Dancing at Any Age

Patients often ask me, “what is the best form of exercise?”. The answer I usually give is “The kind you enjoy”. My reasoning is, if you enjoy doing something then it is far more likely you will find the time to do it – an opinion supported by research1. So, if the gym isn’t your…

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How Can We Prevent Dance Injuries?

One of the most common questions I get asked as a physiotherapist with a special interest in dance rehabilitation and injury prevention is, “How can we prevent dance injuries?”. GOOD QUESTION! It’s a very valid question considering: the rate of injury in young and adolescent dancers is higher than that reported in young soccer players…

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