Dance surely boosts physical and mental health but also leads to injuries just like any sport. When you're a dancer, there's no duration of being free from pain, the soreness in the body is a consistent feeling that comes and goes. Some level of pain is simply part of being a dancer, yet the crucial fact is to know the difference between good pain and bad pain; soreness and injury. Good pain is usually bearable, is often a mild soreness, that we generally ignore, not paying much attention to it. But often these good and bad pains are not very distinguishable. Injuries, the bad pains, the pains that restrict one from performing certain activities that can get worse if not taken care of.
Regardless, most of the times we do not want to admit that we are injured because, harsher than the pain of the injury are the thoughts that come across the mind, the 'shoulda- woulda- coulda', the vague worst-case scenarios, all the negative what-if's; like what if it doesn't get treated? What if it is a permanent injury? What if you can't dance anymore...
When we face a problem we incline towards avoiding it, afraid of the conclusion it might come to. We try to overlook it but somewhere the distress is always there at the back of our heads. Being a dancer, I have had a few minor injuries too and I procrastinate looking into it because I am not a fan of hearing the phrase "take rest". This is not the wisest thing to do but I still try to pass through it somehow. So, with time I came across a few easily observable traits that can help to identify an injury rather than stressing yourself out to go see a doctor initially.
- If the pain wakes you up at night
- If it is present at the start of an activity
- That increases with an activity
- If it makes you shift your weight or otherwise compensate your movements
- Try to figure out when the injury occurred and what caused it. Usually, injuries have specific reasons and movements that lead to the pain, unlike soreness that is due to a continuous activity.
Why do dancers push themselves through pain in the first place?
Dancers also have a strong mindset of " the show must go on" and "taking it for the team".
Most of the dancers perceive that not treating or paying much attention to their pains is considered as hard-core. Dance medicine researchers are currently studying pre-professional dancers' attitudes toward pain. Some students use pain as an indicator that they're working hard. When you're training, the stakes can feel incredibly high, and a lot out of your control, thinking that you can define the amount of pain you feel can bring a sense of control. This tendency should be reversed whenever possible. Promote listening to your body, and taking time to heal. Additionally, dancers should build personal identities outside of dance so that injury is not personally devastating. When you return to dancing, recognize that you may not fully trust your body. Give yourself permission to gradually regain your strength, regain the trust and confidence in your body.
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