Dance-related injury

- They push their body to the limit and spend hours in technique training and mastering
choreography.
- Dancers value their physique so much that they often do not get proper nourishment, a
habit that could impede their recovery.
- An injury is tissue or organ damage due to mechanical trauma.
- Musculoskeletal structures commonly injured in a dancer are the muscles, tendons,
ligaments, bones, and joints.

Injury risk factors

1. Poor body alignment and technique
a. anatomical alignment and technique of the dancer are some of the intrinsic
factors that are commonly associated with injury.
b. These movements are anchored to the trunk, meaning the trunk should be
stable, and the spine should be aligned correctly.
2. Excessive training duration and intensity
a. Intense technique training will most likely lead to microscopic injury muscle
structure due to repetitive loading.
3. Hard dance floor
a. where the dancers rehearse and perform.
b. An optimal dance floor should be able to absorb the impact that is generated by
the performer.
c. The repetitive shock absorbed by the foot eventually damage the foot or other
parts of the lower extremity.
4. Poor shoe design
a. Footwear can correct foot mechanics and reduce the impact on the foot.
5. Muscle Imbalance
a. an uncoordinated muscle action because of uneven strength between muscle
groups.

Common types of dance-related injuries

● 2 types of musculoskeletal injuries: acute and chronic.
● Acute injuries occur when the mechanical force that is absorbed by the musculoskeletal
structure is more than what it is accustomed to.
○ The onset of the pain and other symptoms occur immediately after the impact.
● Chronic injuries occur due to repetitive trauma and the body is not given time to
recover.
○ The onset of pain and other symptoms occur at a gradual rate, which is usually
worsened with activity or training.

Acute Injuries
1. Ankle sprain
a. Cause: twist the ankle after a jump
b. Symptoms: pain at the outer part of the foot
 c. A sprained ankle is an injury that occurs when you roll, twist or turn your ankle in
an awkward way. This can stretch or tear the tough bands of tissue (ligaments)
that help hold your ankle bones together.
2. Dancer’s fracture
a. Cause: twists the foot when turning.
b. Symptoms: pain at the outer part of the foot
c. The dancer's fracture, or long spiral fracture of the distal metatarsal, is typically
caused by the dancer rolling over their foot while in the demi-pointe position or
sustained while landing a jump.
3. Back strain
a. Cause: sudden movement of the trunk.
b. Symptoms: pain and stiffness in the low back.
c. Twisting or pulling a muscle or tendon can result in a strain. It can also be caused
by a single instance of improper lifting or by overstressing the back muscles. A
chronic (long-term) strain usually results from overuse after prolonged, repetitive
movement of the muscles and tendons.
4. Anterior cruciate ligament tear (ACL)
a. Cause: twist the knee after a jump.
b. Symptoms: pain and weakness in the knee.
i. Changing direction rapidly,
ii. Stopping suddenly
iii. Slowing down while running
iv. Landing from a jump incorrectly
v. Direct contact or collision, such as a football tackle
c. Several studies have shown that female athletes have a higher incidence of ACL
injury than male athletes in certain sports. It has been proposed that this is due to
differences in physical conditioning, muscular strength, and neuromuscular
control. Other suggested causes include differences in pelvis and lower extremity
(leg) alignment, increased looseness in ligaments, and the effects of estrogen on
ligament properties.
5. Forearm fracture
a. Cause: falls on an outstretched arm.
b. Symptoms: pain and deformity near the wrist.
c. Fractures of the forearm can occur at different levels: near the wrist at the
farthest (distal) end of the bone, in the middle of the forearm or near the elbow at
the top (proximal) end of the bone. They can occur through a direct blow (a fall
on the forearm or direct impact from an o object) or indirect injury. The latter is
usually secondary to landing on an outstretched arm.

Chronic injuries
1. Stress fracture
a. Cause: prolonged repetitive loading.
b. Symptoms: pain at the front of the leg.
 c. A stress fracture is a very small crack in the bone. This can happen from
repetitive trauma and is commonly seen in athletes – particularly long-distance
runners. Stress injuries can be found in the shin bone, foot, heel, hip and lower
back. Treatment for stress fractures usually involves rest while the bone heals
and changing your activity level to prevent another injury.
2. Achilles tendinosis
a. Cause: excessive training.
b. Symptoms: pain near the heel in the morning.
c. an overuse injury of the Achilles tendon, the band of tissue that connects calf
muscles at the back of the lower leg to your heel bone. Achilles tendinitis most
commonly occurs in runners who have suddenly increased the intensity or
duration of their runs. It's also common in middle-aged people who play sports,
such as tennis or basketball, only on the weekends.
3. Patellofemoral pain syndrome
a. Cause: muscle imbalance
b. Symptoms: pain at the side of the knee.
c. pain syndrome is pain at the front of your knee, around your kneecap (patella).
Sometimes called "runner's knee," it's more common in people who participate in
sports that involve running and jumping. The knee pain often increases when you
run, walk up or down stairs, sit for long periods, or squat. Simple treatments —
such as rest and ice — often help, but sometimes physical therapy is needed to
ease patellofemoral pain.
4. Plantar fasciitis
a. Cause: poor foot mechanics and hard dance floor.
b. Symptoms: pain at the sole when they take a step after sleeping.
c. a self-limiting condition, is a common cause of heel pain in adults. Plantar
fasciitis affects sedentary and athletic populations. Obesity, excessive foot
pronation, excessive running, and prolonged standing are risk factors for
developing plantar fasciitis. Diagnosis is primarily based on history and physical
examination. Patients may present with heel pain with their first steps in the
morning or after prolonged sitting, and sharp pain with palpation of the medial
plantar calcaneal region.
5. Hip & knee osteoarthritis
a. Cause: prolonged repetitive loading
b. Symptoms: pain that worsens over time
c. involves almost any joint but typically affects the hands, knees, hips, and feet. It
is characterized by pathologic changes in cartilage, bone, synovium, ligament,
muscle, and periarticular fat, leading to joint dysfunction, pain, stiffness,
functional limitation, and loss of valued activities, such as walking for exercise
and dancing.

Injury prevention
- an effort to prevent or reduce the severity of bodily injuries caused by external
mechanisms, such as accidents, before they occur.
 - a component of safety and public health, and its goal is to improve the health of the
population by preventing injuries and hence improving quality of life.
1. Programmed exercise and training
● Warm-up
● Technique training
● Choreography
● Cool-down
2. Adequate recovery
It is an important phase of training because it is the period wherein the body repairs and
rebuilds itself.
● Nutrients
● Rest
Proper eating habits and adequate sleep aid in replenishing nutrients and repairing tissues.
3. Appropriate environment
● A suspended floor is a floor designed to absorb the impact when dancing and jumping. •
● The floor should be properly maintained and not slippery.
● Dancers prefer a training facility or performance center that is a bit warm because it
helps them in their warm-up and prepare them psychologically.
4. Proper footwear
● Shoes protect the lower extremities from injury by reducing the impact when dancing.
Shoes can correct over pronation of the foot, which has been linked to plantar fasciitis
and fat pad contusions.
● A properly fitted shoe prevents excessive foot movement and reduces the risk of twisting
the foot. An orthotic shoe insert can also prevent excessive foot movement and correct
overpronation.
5. Proper warm-up technique
● Dance movements require a great degree of flexibility. Proper warm-up helps improve
flexibility before dance training or performance. It is important for beginners to learn the
proper technique to minimize the risk of straining the muscles.
● Surveys among dancers show that technique training from teachers who were aware of
the anatomical limitation was helpful in reducing the risk of injury.
6. Cross training
● Many dancers feel stressed because they are pressured to be perfect. The inability to
manage stress leads to fatigue and burnout which is associated with injury.
● Cross training is a type of physical training that is different from what is usually
performed. It helps maintain physical fitness but in minimizes the mental stress that is
associated with dancing.
7. Early recognition
● Pain is a good indicator that there is damage to the tissue. However, dancers and
athletes tend to have high tolerance for pain.
● It is only when pain becomes intolerable that they would consider consulting a physician.
At this point, the condition has worsened, and the only remedy is complete rest and
medication. This can be avoided if the dancer recognizes the pain early and seeks
medical advice.
Cheerdance
- refers to a type of grouped dance that intends to give a motivation and support to a
sporting team, entertainment to audience, or competition.
- Most cheer dance group consists of 4-30 dancers, both male and female, executing
different formations and acrobatics.
History
- originated in the United States in the early 1800’s (However, it was in the year 1890 that
the world’s first cheerleaders were known)
- November 2, 1898 was the official birthdate of organized cheerleading
- Same data that Johnny Campbell directed a crowd to cheer for the university of
Minnesota’s football squad.
Cheerleading in the PH
- affiliated wit the International Federation for Cheerleading and the continental body, the
Asian Federation of Cheerleading.
Elements of cheer dance
1. Yells/ Chants – are usually done by the performers with pride and confidence. This
element helps to encourage the supportive spectators to cheer along and bring the
prideful message to the competitors. The basic technique in yelling and chanting is the
use of diaphragm instead of the throat. It is done also while doing the other elements of
cheer dancing.
2. Basic Types of Jumps:
a. Spread Eagle – simply swing and jump with arms of doing high “V” figure and
legs apart. Knees facing forward but not toward the sky. This jump is used as
progression to learn more advance jumps.
b. Tuck Jump – Legs in front while knees tucked to the chest. Closed fist and arms
spreading forming “T” or “V” figure.
c. Toe Touch – one of the most common jumps used in cheerleading. Legs are
straddled, straight and parallel to the ground forming “V” figure. Knees face the
sky, toes pointed, arms form “T” position, closed fist and must not touch the toes
despite the name.
d. Pike - Legs are straight, together, and parallel to the ground. Toes are pointed,
arms are straight reaching the front while hands are in closed fist.
e. Hurdle - One leg is straight facing forward (front hurdle) or facing outward (side
hurdle) with arms forming “T” figure. The other leg is bent, knees facing the
ground (front hurdle) or facing forward (side hurdle)
- Jumping movement breakdown:
- Starting/Standing position: Feet together and arms by the side of the body. -
- Preparatory position: Hands are clasped, raised in high “V” position.
- Dip: Bending of knees, swinging of the arms across the body and in front of the
knees.
- Jump execution: Power must be generated by the leg muscles -
- Recovery/Landing position: Knees are slightly bent for weight absorption, with
arms to the side of the body.
- After Jump: Return to strating/standing position.
3. Stunts: Most stunts are done by flyers (usually female) with bases (male lifters) and
spotters. It is essential to know the proper execution of the stunts to secure the safety of
both flyers and lifters.
4. Bases: These are the athletes (usually male cheer dancers) that hold, lift, and toss a
flyer up to the air during stunts. Bases must be strong an alert at all times. They make
sure that the flyer will land safely and secured. There is no gender requirement for a
base.
5. Flyers: Flyers are the athletes being held, lifted, and tossed up to perform certain stunts
in height or in the air. Female cheer dancers are usually assigned to be the flyers. They
are usually, but not always, the smallest person in the group. They are flexible, and
balance efficient while being lifted up. Before performing air stunts, flyers must learn first
the proper techniques.
6. Tumble: Including tumbling skills in your cheer dance routine is an excellent way to add
extreme, thrill and excitement. Safety and security must be observe at all times to avoid
injury especially tumble skill involve gravity-defying and intense ground impact.
a. Standing – completing tumble in a stationary position.
b. Running – completing a tumble from a running start.
c. Cartwheel – A type of tumble in which the body moves sideways imitating a
wheel.
d. Round off – this tumble is similar to cartwheel but the difference is, landing must
be in both feet together.
e. Forward roll – is one of the most basic elements in gymnastics and one of the
first learnt.
f. Backward roll - A movement in which one's body is rolled backwards, by
crouching on the ground and lifting one's legs complete over one's head and
lifting the head at the end.
7. Pyramids: A stunt where cheer dancers stack their selves up above to one another
forming a layers. It involves high-level of stuting skills, coordination, trust among the
group and mos importantly, awareness for safety. Pyramids consists of different
techniques in lifts, tosses, poses and dismoount that creates an impressive visual
effects. Counting is also important to a coordinated pyramids in cheer dance.
8. Dance: In today’s cheer dancing, different themes (i.e anime, superheroes, animals,
culture) inspire most of the choreography of cheer dancing. Hip-hop, contemporary, and
festival type of dances can be applicable in creating a cheer dance routine.
Synchronization is one of the most important factors to be considered to create a precise
and entertaining routine.
9. Music: Cheer dance are typically accompanied either percussive resembles, pure
music, or sometimes both. Music created for cheer dancing usually has special sound
effects that collaborates with the specific stunts and movements performed by the cheer
dancers.
10. Formation: play a vital role in cheer dance since most of the cheer dance competitions
are viewed from the top by the spectators. Formations may vary depending on the
dances and stunts choreographed. It is important to have creative formations that will
 create excellent visual effects to enhance the dance routine. Synchronization must be
always observed in making formations in the cheerdance.
a. Bowling pin, diamond, diagonal, staggered

Basic Hand Movements in Cheer dance (Motions)

1. BEGINNING STANCE - Feet together, hands down by the side in blades.
2. CHEER STANCE - Feet more than shoulder width apart, hands down by the side in
blade.
3. CLASP - Hands clasped, at the chin, elbows in.
4. CLAP - Hands in blades, at the chin, elbows in.
5. HIGH V - Arms extended up forming a “V”, relax the shoulders
6. LOW V - Arms extended down forming a “V”
7. GOALPOST (or TOUCHDOWN) - Arms extended straight and parallel to each other, fist
facing in.
8. LOW TOUCHDOWN - Arms extended straight down and parallel to each other, fist
facing in.
9. 3/4 T (or BOW AND ARROW) - One arm extended to side with other arm bent at elbow
in a half “T” motion.
10. OVERHEAD CONE - Arms are straight, above the head in a clasp and slightly in front of
the face.
11. DAGGERS (or TABLETOP) - Arms bent at elbow, fists in front of shoulders.
12. LOW CONE - Arms extended straight slightly in front of the body.
13. PUNCH - One arm extended straight up, one arm on hip, in a fist.
14. L MOTION - One arm extended to the side with other arm extended in a punch motion.
15. DIAGONAL - One arm extended in a high “V” and the other arm extended in a low “V”.
16. T MOTION - Both arms extended straight and parallel to the ground, relax the shoulders.
17. HALF T - Both arms parallel to the ground and bent at the elbows, fists into shoulders.
18. SIDE LUNGE - Lead leg bent with the knee over the ankle, back leg straight, feet
perpendicular to each other.
19. FRONT LUNGE - Lead leg bent with the knee over the ankle, back leg straight, feet
perpendicular to each other.

PRECAUTIONS OF CHEERLEADING:
1. Cheerleading/Cheerdance must be designated as a sport to all state.
2. Athletes should have a physical examination and must be assessed by conditioning trainers
before allowing to join cheering squads.
3. Cheering squad must be supervised by qualified coaches who are certified in proper spotting
for stunts, safety and basic prevention of injuries.
4. Athletes especially the base and spotters must have adequate body strength, core stability
and balance.
5. Practicing of the technical skills of the stunts such as pyramids, tossing, and tumbles must be
done in a spring/foam or grass/turf floor to lessen to much contact.
6. Coaches, athletes and parents must have access emergency plans. Conditioning coaches
and physician must be also present during trainings, if possible.
7. Athletes who have a history in injury must be strictly assessed by physicians first before
letting him/her join the cheering squad.
8. Coaches, parents, and athletes must have a written agreement signed by all parties
indicating the knowledge regarding risks, tendencies, and benefits in joining to a cheering
squad.

Do’s and Don’ts in Cheerleading:

- Do eat right kinds of food and try various physical activities.
- Don’t take practice for granted.
- Do sign up for training camps.
- Don’t push yourself too much. If you’re hurt or injured, don’t push yourself to attend practice.
- Do wear appropriate attire. Use right clothes and right shoes during cheerleading practice and
competition.

“Prevention of Injury is better than Cure”

1. Warm-up should be performed prior to all sessions of strenuous exercise. It should consist of
general activities raising the body temperature to a light sweat.
2. Stretching
a. Before and after exercise/physical activity
b. Stretch gently and slowly
c. Hold stretches for a minimum of 10 seconds
d. Breathe slow and easy
3. Warm-up (cool down). Consist of a gradual reduction in activity levels for 5-10 minutes, e.g. a
slow/easy walk followed by stretching.
NOTE: Do not forget to always keep yourself hydrated during physical activities.