Dance Physiotherapy

Preparing For End-Of-Year Dance Concerts 

Dancing is one of the most popular sports that many Australian children participate in each year. Not only does it provide them with a great cardio workout, but also improves their balance and coordination. Despite its numerous benefits, dancing can be physically demanding on the body, from points to jumps and turns to twists. This often places additional stress on the lower limbs, resulting in lower limb sprains and strains amongst some of the most common injuries we see in dancers.  

According to recent findings, 82% of dancers suffer between one and seven injuries within their dancing career. Furthermore, dancers can also sustain overuse injuries caused by growth spurts, muscle imbalance, incorrect technique, tendon overload or an increase in rehearsal and performance schedule.  

With concert time just around the corner, dance classes and rehearsals may increase to get you performance ready. With that in mind, now is a more important time than ever to ensure you are taking the adequate time to rest and recover. An injury now may unfortunately take you away from that highly anticipated annual, end of year concert.  

Here are our top 4 injury prevention tips to take with you into the concert season.   

  • Correct footwear is vital for dancers to perform at their best. To prevent injury, always ensure that you are wearing suitable footwear for the dance genre and that they are in good condition, fit for regular use. 
     
  • Engage in a dynamic warm-up that mimics the style of dance you will be performing. Dynamic warmups are active movements where joints and muscles go through a full range of motion, such as jumping jacks.  
     
  • Foam rolling major muscle groups such as the Quads and Hamstrings before and after rehearsal will target the underlying fascia, promote blood flow and increase flexibility in the muscles.   
     
  • Visit the Progressive practice to use the Game-Ready or Normatec system. These state-of-the-art technologies have been designed for fast muscle and injury recovery to help athletes’ recovery in-between training and boost their performance.   

End-of-year concerts are just around the corner, so don’t miss out on showcasing all of your hard work over the past year due to an injury. If you are experiencing pain or discomfort when dancing, talk to the team at Progressive today. 

Elin, is an alumni of St. Edward’s University and holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology, furthered her academic journey by attaining a Doctor of Physiotherapy from Macquarie University in 2022.

Her passion for sports, particularly football (soccer), is evident in both her academic pursuits and personal endeavors. Specialising in the comprehensive well-being of athletes, Elin focuses on restoring them to peak performance while actively preventing future injuries.

Elin’s professional expertise is centered on musculoskeletal rehabilitation, with a specific emphasis on addressing and preventing knee injuries. Her approach integrates expert treatment with a commitment to educating and empowering patients, fostering their active involvement in enhancing their health and overall quality of life.

As an active participant in NPL football with SD Raiders, Elin brings firsthand experience and a profound understanding of the sport’s demands. Beyond the field, she extends her influence by contributing sports coverage over the weekends.

Christopher (Chris) Han graduated from the University of Sydney with a Bachelor’s Degree in Occupational Therapy, and then completed the Doctor of Physiotherapy program at Macquarie University in 2018. Chris is currently undertaking his PhD at the University of Sydney and Institute for Musculoskeletal Health in the field of low back pain and is due to complete this in early 2024. 

Chris is currently an assistant Physiotherapist for the NRL Referees. Chris has previous experience as the head Physiotherapist at Panthers Premier League Netball and a number of elite sporting athletes in the private setting.

Through Chris’ experiences, he has a particular interest in all areas of the body and musculoskeletal physiotherapy, sports, vestibular rehabilitation, and Men’s Health (pre and post prostate surgery).

Suzanne graduated from Western Sydney University with a Bachelor of Health Science (Sports and Exercise Science) in 2015. She then went on to continue her studies at Macquarie University graduating from the Doctor of Physiotherapy post-graduate degree in June 2019.

Since graduating, Suzanne has worked in the local Penrith area in both private practice and Sports Physiotherapy. Suzanne has worked with sporting teams including Penrith District Netball Association, Mt Druitt Rangers (NPL), Penrith Valley Figure Skating Club, and local dance and cheer schools. 

Suzanne has a particular interest in working with artistic athletes including cheerleaders and dancers. She has a professional background in both cheer and dance and has previously worked as both a cheer coach and dance teacher. Suzanne’s previous experiences are an invaluable resource to her as a physiotherapist, as she has a thorough understanding of the level of physical fitness and skill acquisition that these athletes must have in order to be successful on stage and in competition.

Suzanne’s other areas of clinical interest reside in lower limb musculoskeletal injuries, spinal pathologies and women’s health.

Nathanial graduated as a physiotherapist in 2012 which saw him work in private practice and hospital settings gaining experience in all areas of physiotherapy including hand therapy, splinting/casting, pre/post-operative care, Men’s Health and general musculoskeletal, occupational and sports physiotherapy. Since then he has gone on to complete further studies in physiotherapy enabling him to be the only dual titled Musculoskeletal, Sports and Exercise Physiotherapist in Penrith.

Nathanial has a strong background in sports physiotherapy achieving accreditation with NSWIS as a service provider and working with many elite sports teams.

Nathanial has a particular interest in working with elite athletes, complex cases and in particular assessment and management of knee, hip and shoulder pain.

Andrea graduated from the Australian Catholic University completing her Bachelor of Exercise and Sports Science in 2018 and Master’s of Clinical Exercise Physiology in 2020. After graduating she attained accreditation with ESSA as an Exercise Physiologist.

During her studies she gained clinical experience in both hospital and private practice settings, in cardiac rehabilitation, neurological conditions, cancer and chronic musculoskeletal injuries.

Since working at Progressive, Andrea has a specialist interest in treating musculoskeletal injuries, helping people in the mid-late stage of rehab to get them to return to sport or work. As well as helping people manage chronic conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis and diabetes.