"Dancer's Tendinitis"

Some injuries are so commonly seen in dancers – especially when compared to their incidence in non-dancers – that they earn a dance-specific nickname: Dancer’s Fracture, Dancer’s Tendinitis, Dancer’s Hip.

Dancer’s Tendinitis refers to Flexor Hallucis Longus tendinopathy (That’s quite a mouthful! No wonder it’s referred to as dancer’s tendinitis!).  The Flexor Hallucis Longus (FHL) muscle is located in the lower leg and its tendon runs down into the foot, attaching to the bottom of the big toe. As the name implies, it is responsible for flexing (pointing) the big toe. Tendinopathy simply means “an injury or disease related to a tendon,” making it a good term to use when discussing tendon-related conditions without worrying about what specific aspect of the tendon is injured (the actual tendon vs. the sheath of connective tissue surrounding it) or for how long it’s been injured (tendinitis vs. tendinosis – acute vs. chronic).

Shoulder Injuries in the Performing Arts: Dislocations

With the video and witness reports circulating about Mark Ballas's injury during DWTS rehearsal, this is a good time to review the differences between the most common acute shoulder injuries.  This is the first in a series on shoulder injuries in the performing arts.

This series of articles will address fairly damaging acute shoulder injuries.  Unless otherwise noted, these injuries are substantial enough that they should not be self-treated until after you've seen a medical professional who has instructed you to do so.  These traumatic shoulder injuries should be treated as emergencies, since there is a high risk of significant complications if they are improperly or incompletely cared for (these complications can include nerve damage, internal bleeding, and nonunion fractures).  Some of the injuries discussed in this series can be caused by falls or collisions, but these articles will focus on other mechanisms of injury.

Performer’s Perspective: The Two-Year Injury Saga that Nearly Ended All of My Activities

Laura Mertz

Violinist

Age at time of injury: 14-16 years old

Site of injury: shoulders and upper back

Laura is a performing arts medicine specialist and the owner of Behind the Scenes Medical Consulting. Her first experience with debilitating playing-related pain came as a 16-year-old violinist. Here, she details her injury and how she eventually overcame it – with the help of the friendly person working at KC Strings on the day she came in to correct her playing ergonomics.

Four Ways You Can Improve Your Health and Performance by Sleeping

Did you know that sleep is a critical component to maintaining your weight, staying healthy, and preventing injuries? Not only does sleep help you avoid overuse or fatigue-related injuries, it also gives your performance a boost by allowing your body to recover more completely from the previous day’s activities. There are many factors that go into getting enough and the right kind of sleep.