Tips for Going to the Doctor's Office

Some dancers don’t like to go see the doctor (even when they really need to) because they feel that (a) they already know what the doctor is going to say [“Stop dancing!”] or (b) they think it will be a waste of time and they won’t actually get any personalized attention or advice. Or both.

If you fit into the first category, choosing the best type of physician for injured dancers may help you feel more comfortable seeing a physician. If you fit into the second category, make sure that you’re giving your doctor the most accurate and complete information to allow him or her to give you the most accurate diagnosis and the best treatment plan. Your diagnosis can only be as good as the information you provide your medical provider.

The following tips are designed to help you get the most out of your doctor’s visit, including an accurate diagnosis and an effective treatment plan.

Demonstrate and Educate

At the physician’s office, don’t be afraid to demonstrate what you were doing when you were injured – assuming you can do so without hurting yourself again. Demonstrate using the other side of your body, if you need to. Oftentimes, people, including medical professionals, who are not familiar with dance (especially ballet) get intimidated when they’re talking about dance with serious dancers. Ballet is most intimidating because it literally is a foreign language.

It’s human nature – people don’t want to appear to not know something, especially when you’ve sought them out for their expertise, so they don’t want to ask for an explanation if they don’t know what you’re talking about. To make sure that you’re fully understood by the physician (which will ensure that you get a more accurate and complete diagnosis), demonstrate what you’re talking about. Instead of saying that you hurt your hamstring while you were doing a penche, show what that looks like. If you don’t feel comfortable or aren’t able to demonstrate what you were doing when you were injured, do your homework before you go to the office and find a picture of the position you were in when you were hurt and take it with you to show the physician.

Bring Your Shoes

If you think your shoes are potentially related to your injury, bring them to the appointment and show the doctor why you think the shoes may have caused your injury. Let the physician examine you with your shoes on, if he or she wants to. It is better to have your shoes with you and not need them than to be missing a piece of the puzzle.

ASK QUESTIONS!!!

You may only be scheduled to see the physician for 15 minutes during your visit, so make those 15 minutes count (don’t worry – they’ll stay with you longer than those 15 minutes if your evaluation requires it).

Ask:

• How you got the injury (if it’s an overuse injury)
• How you can prevent it from happening in the future (especially if it’s an overuse injury)
• For exercises or stretches to do to help facilitate healing
• For a guideline of what you need to do to both heal and safely return to dancing (if you have to take time off)
• Any question you might have thought of during the time you have had this injury – this is the best time to get personalized help and answers from your doctor.

For more ideas on effective communication with your medical provider, read this article from a 2008 issue of Dance Spirit.