Monday, January 2, 2012

Ways to Prevent Ballet Ankle Sprains


Oh, the Pain of Ballet Ankle Sprains
The ankle injury, particularly an ankle sprain, is common for ballet dancers. The dancer can tell immediately by the sudden, intense pain felt in the ankle. The sprains are graded I, II or III status depending on the severity. With all three grades, stop dancing immediately, take weight off the ankle and sit down to evaluate the injury. In addition, elevate the ankle, apply ice packs for swelling and rest the ankle. A Grade II ankle sprain will have more immediate swelling and will need an X-ray, as you've probably torn a ligament. Recommendations may be an air cast or wrapping the ankle with a splint support with adequate rest. A Grade III ankle sprain is very painful with intense swelling, as more than one ligament has torn. After X-rays, surgery may be required to repair and stabilize the ankle to be strong enough to dance. There'll be prescribed physical therapy, and it may be several months before the ankle is strong enough to dance with the intensity that's needed for ballet.
Ouch, It's Not Just My Ankle
Some ankle injuries also involve the foot or calf. Ballet dancers develop Achilles tendinitis, which some runners get. It's a tendon strain that goes from the heel through the ankle up into the calf of the leg. Most of these injuries happen because the dancer is tired, has over trained, is dancing on the wrong dance surface or didn't warm up properly. The dancer must give in to the injury to avoid long-term serious injury. Rest the ankle, elevate it and use ice for any swelling.
Broken Ballerinas
Stress fractures and broken ankles happen to ballet dancers just as they do to any athlete. These require X-rays or bone scans to determine the severity. A cast, or at least an air cast, may be required for a break or stress fracture. These injuries take time to heal, and the best rehabilitation for these is to not dance at all for a period to guard against re-injuring the ankle or causing permanent damage. Ballet dancers should do recommended physical therapy to strengthen the ankle. Also, take up swimming to keep the dancer's body fit and strong without putting weight on the ankle due to the buoyancy of the water.
Learn from Your Ballet Ankle Injuries
Once you've had an ballet ankle injury, you learn how important it is to warm up and stretch out prior to dancing. Replace pointe shoes that have a weak or broken shank to avoid more ankle injuries. Pamper your ankles that have been injured by wrapping them with support bandages when practicing. Avoid extremely long practices and doing dance movements that you're not totally comfortable with.

 
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