When a dancer is told that they need to see a doctor due to an injury or illness, there’s probably quite a bit of fear. Fear that doctors will not appreciate the demands of dance. Fear that the dancer will be told simply “just stop...
Kendall Bottjer and @health_enpointe You are one of many dancers with heel pain. You’ve heard of, or been told, that an “extra bone” is the problem. If so, is removing it going to be the fix? Don’t let heel pain limit your leaps, turns, and jumps. Find out why heel...
They can be hard to understand, hard to suspect, and have unpredictable healing times. WHAT ARE BONE STRESS INJURIES? In describing bone stress injuries to patients, I often use the analogy of bending my pen while bored in class one day. If I just start trying to...
The following post on Return to Sport is from the Fall 2018 Orange County Magazine I often get asked how to determine when a young athlete should return to sport after injury. In many cases, injured young athletes tend to heal quickly. However, in a worst-case...
Should dancers take PE class? Must be the start of a new school year. The questions (and request forms) are coming in. How does this pediatric sports and dance medicine specialist view dancers and Physical Education (PE) class? The benefits of having dancers take PE class Get outside to soak...
My dancers with foot, ankle, knee or even hip pain have taught me that the root cause often starts with abnormal motion of the big toe. Dancers however aren't the only ones who suffer from this problem. Recommend that any athlete, dancer, or other type of performer with ankle,...
Dancer overuse is an unfortunately common issue that can limit both rehearsing and performing. While several factors can contribute, asking 3 key questions can definitely reduce the amount and intensity of dancer overuse injuries. 1. Am I going through a growth spurt? Bottom Line: Longer arms and...