It’s a normal day at your team practice…

…and you’re just doing what you’ve always done – turning, leaping, jumping, floorwork, the whole nine.

Out of nowhere, to no fault of your own, you miss a step. There’s a pop on the outside of your ankle and the next thing you remember you’re on the ground. It’s hard to put weight on your foot, let alone walk.

Fortunately your parents have your doctor on speed-dial and you’re able to get in with an orthopedic doctor the next day.

“It’s a Grade II ankle sprain” you’re told. You’ll have to be in a boot for a few weeks and unfortunately, dancing is out of the question at the moment. What do you do?

This is where we come in. Dancing may be out of the question for now, but training isn’t.

To us, you are an athlete, and being an athlete not only means we need to find ways to optimize your healing, but how do we keep you physically in the game so you can stay mentally in tune? How do we keep your body moving to stay ready?

For us, comprehensive support for our artist-athletes means two things:
1) Slowly begin to direct “good stress” to the areas that need healing, and 2) training with AND around your healing process to maintain your state of readiness and confidence.

Stay consistent with the basics:

There are several ways to make sure that you can continue to give effort in physical movement while maintaining the ranges of motions and movement for your dance training without aggravating the areas of the foot and ankle that need healing.

9090 3D Hip Mobilization:

Keep your hips moving and mobilized with this seated hip mobility exercise. A standard across our PT and prehab programs.

Half Sideplank Leg Swings

Keep your hip muscles moving powerfully, but also training your trunk and upper body to find stability against powerful leg movements.

Half Sideplank Open/Close

Keep moving through full body flexion and extension patterns.

Half Sideplank Arm and Leg Reach / DNS Star

Continuing finding effort in lengthening and creating opposition while rotating your pelvis over the supporting hip.

These above exercises are a standard in any DANCE|PREHAB healing and training process.

The DANCE|PREHAB Perspective:

You’re an athlete not just physically, but mentally as well. Our collaborations extend beyond just treating your injury. It means treating your injury, but also working WITH and AROUND your injury to keep up with your training to maintaining your state of focus so when you get back and ease yourself back into your craft, we just need to add the missing pieces.

As always, check in with your healthcare provider, doctor, or physical therapist to make sure you are able to continue safely!

Let’s move!