For dancers, it’s typical to believe that there’s a limit to how long we are allowed to dance or dance until the age of. Perhaps you’re experiencing an Injury Prevention in your body on the next day following a major rehearsal for a dance, or you’re unable to jump into the splits without warming up as you did in the past. Each body is different but there are methods for you to continue moving and moving in your 70s and 60s!
1. Immersion in Cold Water for Recuperation and Injury Prevention
Cold water immersion is a great method to recover muscles after dance training. This is usually performed in a temperature-controlled pool or bath. Studies have shown that immersion in cold water can have an impact on delayed soreness of the muscle (DOMS). It is suggested that the temperature of the water be maintained between 11 and 15 degrees to ensure an adequate recovery.
In order to have a significant effect on soreness in the muscles and soreness, immersion in cold water has to last between 11 and 15 minutes. Cold water is commonly utilized by those who participate in activities that require a lot of effort, such as dancing since it has been shown to reduce pain and decrease the inflammation caused by exercise and muscle injury, allowing to speed up recovery.
2. Hydrotherapy as a Rehab and Injury Prevention Technique
Hydrotherapy is a popular method used to recover from exercise. A pool for hydrotherapy is filled with chlorine or salt water, and is kept at 34 degrees Celsius. The water’s relaxing and repelling effects have been proven to ease chronic discomfort, inflammation, and muscle tension, as well as improve mobility and coordination.
3. Contrast Water Therapy: A Rehabilitative and Injury Prevention Approach
Contrast therapy involves soaking in warm and cold water in order to assist with the recovery of muscles. This technique has been shown to reduce inflammation and the damage to muscles after exercise. The change between cold and warm water in the body creates constriction and dilation in the blood vessels, resulting in an improvement in the oedema (fluid retention) after exercise.
4. Active Recuperation for Healing and Injury Avoidance
Active recovery is the process of activating various muscles through gentle exercise such as walking, jogging or swimming after physical activity. To allow the cool-down for it to work, it needs to be completed immediately following exercise. Seven minutes active recuperation is enough. This method of recovery improves blood flow within the muscle tissues, which helps in the elimination of metabolic waste. This can help reduce muscular lesions as well as pain. The active recovery method has additionally been shown to boost the overall performance of the body.
5. Cryotherapy for Healing and Preventing Injuries
Cryotherapy involves the application of high-frequency cold in short bursts of time in order to reduce the body’s surface temperature up to 4 degrees Celsius. Body treatments for the whole body are done in specially-designed rooms like cryo-chambers or cryo-saunas. Liquid nitrogen can be used to decrease the temperature in the room. There are other targeted treatment options, such as freeze-dried gels, frozen ice cubes compresses, cold water or the airflow of carbon dioxide liquefied.
Cryotherapy is a method of inducing an increase in body pressure that results in blood vessels being constricted and the contraction of muscles. In turn, the body reacts with a protective reaction and dilates blood vessels rapidly and causes the flow of blood to increase.
This allows for a greater flow of oxygen, nutrients, and anti-inflammatory compounds to flow throughout the body, leading to reduction in swelling, pain and inflammation. Cryotherapy is also believed to have a positive effect on the immune and nervous systems. Cryotherapy is a great option to apply immediately and within the first 24 hours of dancing, and with the application taking place at a temperature between -20 and 160 degrees Celsius for about three minutes.
6. Massage Therapy for Recuperation and Injury Avoidance
Massage is a proven method to recover from dance exercise. Massage improves blood flow to the muscles and reduces oedema, thus reducing DOMS caused by injury to the muscles. Studies have shown that a massage lasting between 20 and 30 minutes must be done immediately following exercise or for up to two hours following exercise in order to reduce DOMS, with the benefits lasting at least 24 hours after exercise.
Massage is also proven to decrease the circulating cortisol (stress hormone) and increase the amount of beta-endorphins, which offer relief from pain and an overall feeling of wellbeing. Other benefits include better sleep quality, less joint and muscle pain, and regulating the nervous system (reduces the stress).
7. Massage Therapy for Recuperation and Injury Avoidance
There is a mixed view of the impact the stretching has on recuperation. It has been proven that stretching reduces fatigue after training in dance, but this is evident in females, resulting in an earlier and less rapid reduction in fatigue when compared to males. Another study has shown that stretching does not have any beneficial effect on DOMS. However, stretching has been proven to cause injury to the muscles (Dupuy (2018)).
8. Compression Garments for Healing and Injury Prevention
Compression clothes are a kind of clothing that is snugly over the skin. Compression clothes worn during exercise help in reduction of DOMS and perceived fatigue that could be due to a reduction in the space for swelling to build up due to the compression of the leg.
9. Physiotherapy in the Prevention of Injuries
To prevent injuries for preventative measures, a dance physiotherapist is able to examine your body’s alignment and movements to determine the potential risk of injuries. The physiotherapist will work with you to create a customized home workout program designed to improve particular muscle strength, balance proprioception (joint position awareness) flexibility, mobility and.
It’s helpful to be aware of your body’s normal movements and weak areas so that you can be more aware of these elements when dancing. Studies have shown that injury prevention programs are effective and have the ability to decrease injuries by around 40%..
10. Pilates as a Rehab and Injury Prevention
Pilates is a growingly popular method of exercise utilized by dancers in order to prevent injuries and speed recovery. Pilates aids in the development of your stabilizing muscles that are required for dancing. Additionally, there is a huge concentration on body balance and balance. There are many kinds of Pilates such as reformer, mat along with clinical Pilates. Pilates has been proven to decrease stress levels, and also aids in preventing injuries, making it an excellent addition to dance classes.
11. Yoga for Healing and Preventing Injuries
Yoga is a combination of fluid movement and prolonged holds in a variety of postures. It integrates integration of breath and movements and frequently involves meditation. Recent research suggests that yoga could counteract the process of aging. Yoga has also been shown to boost memory, spatial attention and decision-making. It was found that doing an hour of Yoga every week can improve mobility and balance, cognitive function as well as endurance and strength, as well as sleep and mental health. Yoga can be beneficial for dancers in gaining the strength and control they require across their entire range of movement.