How Do You Prevent Ankle Injuries In Dance?
Ankle injuries are one of the most common types of dance injuries. The ankle can be injured when a dancer’s foot rolls, turns or twists beyond its normal range of motion, thus stretching and damaging the ligaments that hold the ankle bones and joint in place. Ankle injury may also occur when the foot is planted on a surface unevenly at a force beyond that which occurs with stepping, as is often the case in dance. This can cause the ligaments to stretch beyond their normal range in an abnormal position. Severe sprain results when ligaments are stretched so far that they actually tear. Dancing need not always result in ankle injury, however, as long as proper precautions are taken. Step 1 Always warm up before you start to dance. Proper warm-up exercises can gently stretch the ligaments and prepare them for the greater stretching that is to come. Step 2 Pay close attention to the surface on which you dance. You want to make sure you dance on a flat, smooth surface and that there are no c
