Dancing whilst in pain

[Choc Chip]

Hi all

My first forum posting - nice to "meet" you all! I havent managed to find my way round this thing yet and I'm at work just now so can't spend too much time but I've have some really interesting thoughts recently about connection and muscoloskeletal disorders. I'll post up some throughts properly when I have chance.

Hopefully chat soon to you all

Cookie

[Lynn]

Hi all

My first forum posting - nice to "meet" you all!

Welcome to the forum Cookie!

I havent managed to find my way round this thing yet and I'm at work just now so can't spend too much time but I've have some really interesting thoughts recently about connection and muscoloskeletal disorders. I'll post up some throughts properly when I have chance.

Some vaguely relevant thoughts I've been having elsewhere...partly as a result of a few recent injuries.

For example knees are a danger area for dancers aren't they? Anyone suffered knee pain? Or maybe I should ask anyone not suffered any knee pain ever?

If so, knowing things that are good/bad for knees is going to be helpful in long term. (I find wearing the right shoes for the right floor helps a lot. And a knee support when required.)

I'm also thinking that I can maybe strengthen certain core muscles in order to reduce the likelihood of back injuries and to improve posture?

[Astro]

For example knees are a danger area for dancers aren't they? Anyone suffered knee pain? Or maybe I should ask anyone not suffered any knee pain ever?

If so, knowing things that are good/bad for knees is going to be helpful in long term. (I find wearing the right shoes for the right floor helps a lot. And a knee support when required.)

Everyone seems to complain of knee problems. I strained mine in a drop.

I'm also thinking that I can maybe strengthen certain core muscles in order to reduce the likelihood of back injuries and to improve posture?

On another thread someone recommended pilates to strengthen core muscles - I have not tried that. Swimming is recommended by the NHS.

Does anyone know where Carlos Constantinou is? A lot of people are trying to find him.

[Dance Demon]

I have fairly constant pain in my knees. I am still suffering from Blackpool, because I danced all night. I have a mate who is a sports injuries physio, and I go to him regularly for a massage. He reckons the pain in my knees originates from my hips. He usually takes about 45 minutes to give a right good pummelling, and he does my calfs and hamstrings too. It's bloody sore at the time but the relief I get afterwards is amazing. Unfortunately, he is in Las Vegas just now, and I could really do with him being here, coz my knees are giving me gyp.

[Astro]

I have fairly constant pain in my knees. I am still suffering from Blackpool, because I danced all night. I have a mate who is a sports injuries physio, and I go to him regularly for a massage. He reckons the pain in my knees originates from my hips.

That's interesting because the doctor I saw said my knee injury may have set my groin strain off,( which is connected to the hips] so there is definately a link there.[/quote]

He usually takes about 45 minutes to give a right good pummelling, and he does my calfs and hamstrings too. It's bloody sore at the time but the relief I get afterwards is amazing. Unfortunately, he is in Las Vegas just now, and I could really do with him being here, coz my knees are giving me gyp.

I know how you feel. My bloke has disapeared, a lot of his patients are looking for him.

[Clueless]

I dance through the pain, sometimes if its my knee I just avoid spinning as much!

But if you have had a stiletto heel driven through your foot or scraped down you Achilles it is so temping to land in a head but I have just learnt to bite my tongue and wait to the end of the dance to walk off the floor and then crumple into a heap.

[Degodier]

Depends on the pain- where 10 is childbirth (sorry guys) and 1 is walking into a chair. I'd dance up to about 6!

Can I recommend Green Lipped Mussel extract for arthritis- both types- there's some pretty convincing research and my Mum, who couldn't even grip a pen when she started it now has full functon back again. Not cheap though. Try Healthspan.

[straycat]

Depends on the pain- where 10 is childbirth (sorry guys) and 1 is walking into a chair. I'd dance up to about 6!

Hey - guys suffer from childbirth too! (A serious hangover is no joke, believe me)

[jive_me]

I've had painful knees since I was about 11, Drs couldn't find anything wrong so I've now accepted it as a fact of life. They only hurt occassionally but I'll dance anyway. Sometimes my lower back hurts a lot but dancing seems to do it good. Right now I've got a pulled muscle in my left shoulder that's sufficiently painful for me to reconsider dancing...I might go tonight anyway to test the water

xXx

[Clueless]

Hey - guys suffer from childbirth too! (A serious hangover is no joke, believe me)

Childbirth I have heard has been likened to having ones lower lip pulled over ones head

[Mezzosoprano]

Childbirth I have heard has been likened to having ones lower lip pulled over ones head

Nope - It's waaaayy worse than that....at the time of my eldest's birth (5 days in and out of labour only to have an emergency section at the end) I suggested to my husband that he might like to shove a watermelon up his nether's if he felt he really wanted to "join in" with the experience . He blanched and opted out....

[Clueless]

I would be screaming for the drugs!

[Spin dryer]

Between May and September 2006, I was almost totally incapacitated. I couldn't walk, suffered continuous excruciating pain in most of my joints, and was at times unable to perform basic bodily functions without assistance. When I returned to the dance floor in September 2006, I had to be hauled up on to my feet, and when I fell over, I was incapable of getting up without assistance. But the pleasure of being able to dance again was immense despite the pain.

It's been a very long haul for me to get my strength and flexibility back (and pilates has been a great help). A couple of weeks ago at Berkhamsted, a very plain speaking woman said to me that I used to be a crap dancer and she couldn't understand how I'd improved so much! It turned out that I'd first danced with her in September 2006 when I could barely walk, so her blunt words were a great encouragement to me.

I've always been passionate about dancing. Having been unable to walk for months means that my appreciation of every dance is magnified greatly.

I am so grateful to all my partners for the wonderful times I've had on the dancefloor since my return to good health.