Injured in lockdown
Guest Article from Sports Therapist, Jodie Comer of English National Ballet.
Injured during lockdown
Are you injured during the lockdown? As controversial as this may sound, it might be the best time to be nursing an injury…
Within Dance the overuse rate of injury in Ballet ranges between 56.7 – 75% of all dance injuries compared to acute injuries in Ballet ranging from 42.6-43.3% (Smith et al. 2015, Allen et al. 2013, Nilsson et al. 2001, Ramkumar et al. 2016).
Overuse injuries in dance can be linked to load. In this instance I use the term load to describe time spent doing a particular activity with inadequate rest and recovery. If this load occurs and tissues don’t recover to optimal function again, poor technical habits can form. If poor technical habits form and are repeated overtime it could cause overload and potential overuse injury.
Dancers are notoriously known to put the hours in the studio for class, rehearsals and shows as well as their own training they might participate in away from the studio and stage. A study by Emily Twitchett in 2010 analysed the demands of a working day among females in a Professional Ballet Company. The results demonstrated that 90% of the dancers from their study had less than 60minutes of rest during their working day. The intensity of exercise varied between dancers’ rank. There is a perceived “fatigue / overwork” factor that some dancers feel is a major contribution to their injuries also (Twitchett et al. 2010).
During lockdown, you will be able to control and manage your load a little bit easier while following your rehabilitation program given to you from your Health Practitioner.
You are still able to have online communication with your Physiotherapist, Sports Therapist or Strength and Conditioner during this time.
You are able to structure your day around your rehabilitation program without the emotional feelings that come with watching class when you’re injured.
You are becoming innovative with equipment at home to perform your rehabilitation program.
You aren’t having to commute to work, college or training.
But most importantly, you have been given time - time to recover, time to heal, time to rest and time to rehabilitate.
Stay Safe!
References:
Smith. P. J., Gerrie. B. J., Varner. K. E., McCulloch. P. C., Lintner. D. M., Harris. J. D. (2015) Incidence and Prevalence of Musculoskeletal Injury in Ballet: A Systematic Review, The Orthopaedic Journal of Sports Medicine, 1-9
Allen. N, Nevill. A. M, Brooks. J. H., Koutedakis. Y., Wyon. M. A. (2013) The Effect of a Comprehensive Injury Audit Program on Injury Incidence in Ballet: a 3-year Prospective Study, Clinical Journal of Sports Medicine, 23: 373–378
Nilsson. C., Leanderson. J., Wykman. A., Strender. L. E. (2001) The Injury Panorama in a Swedish Professional Ballet Company. Knee Surgery, Sports Traumatology, Arthroscopy, 9: 242–246
Ramkumar. P. N., Farber. J., Arnouk. J., Varner. K. E., McCulloch. P. C. (2016) Injuries in a Professional Ballet Dance Company: A 10-year Retrospective Study, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 20(1): 30-37
Twitchett. E., Angioi. M., Koutedakis. Y., Wyon. M. (2010) The Demands of a Working Day Among Female Professional Ballet Dancers, Journal of Dance Medicine and Science, 14(4): 127-132
