The hip, ankle and knee experience dynamic stresses from dancing which are uncommon in daily life. Dancers can receive tendon and ligament damage in the hips, ankles and knees, bone stress injuries and displacement, and swelling in the joints from repeated stresses and wear. From hip bursitis to metatarsal stress fractures, dancers test their bodies’ physical resilience.

Do Your Best to Dance — and to Prevent Injury

An active dancer who engages in regular workouts which involve the entire body actually can reduce the chance of injury.

Tight, flexible joints and connective tissue can help prevent the body from getting into trouble in the first place by managing the range of motion and balancing the forces exerted upon connective tissue such as tendons as the dancer stretches, jumps and lands.

Supporting the body with excellent nutrition, hydration and appropriate rest can be a powerful complement to even the best-designed dance workout.

Hip, Ankle and Knee Surgery for Dancers

Dancers place unique stresses on their lower joints including the powerful hips, the complex and vulnerable ankle, and the one joint which gets a lot of injuries from any sport, the knee.

Perhaps because of their typically early start and extensive jump training, muscle control, and overall balanced conditioning, dancers tend to get fewer anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) knee injuries than athletes who participate in other sports.

The stresses which the knees receive in dancing, though, can result in other injuries and long-term damage such as arthritis.

When issues do arise, knee surgery and supportive care by a surgeon who understands the biomechanics of dancing can help patients to heal effectively and return to the dancing they love.

Joyce Laroche