Injury

[dancing10]

Do any of you ballet mums or teachers know how long before dd can get back to ballet.  She has partially torn her hamstring from the bone taking small fragment of bone with it. Very depressed dd. Need to prepare myself so I can prepare her :(

[Anna C]

I would have thought the best person to give an accurate timescale would be your dd's physio, especially if they specialise in dance or sport. Nobody can give you a precise time without examining your dd.

 

When my dd had a minor hamstring pull, she was not allowed to do splits or any allegro at all for at least 3 months. Then she was allowed to start petit allegro but take it gently. No raising the leg above 45 degrees, then 90 degrees. After 5 months she could do Grand Allegro and start splits again but of course she'd lost flexibility.

 

You could feasibly be in for the long haul with your dd. :-( It's distressing for you and so depressing for the dancer. What I would say is that in the book "The Ballet Companion" by Eliza Gaynor Minden, there is a whole section on how to deal with being injured. My dd would sit and watch the allegro section and make notes. Interestingly, her Associate Teacher said that having to keep her leg so low, and watch allegro, made my dd really focus on other parts of her body which had improved while she was injured. In a way - with hindsight - it can be a good time to focus on other areas. But of course at the time it doesn't feel that way.

 

Lots of luck and endless amounts of patience to you both.

[charlie4dancin]

Sorry to hear this dancing10 I have replied to your pm

Cx

[spooky]

The first major injury my dd had was a broken metatarsal and after several frustrating a&e appointments where doctors had no idea of dancers needs and each told us something different we were recommended a local physio who we found out when we went had actually worked at RBS many years previously. She showed an incredible understanding of how a dancer feels when they are unable to dance and as well as showing dd which pilates exercises she could continue with to maintain her core strength she gave us the following wonderful advice. She told dd to use the time she was unable to dance to spend time socialising and generally doing all the things she would normally miss out on due to dancing commitments. It was some of the best advice we have ever been given and although she missed her dancing she had some lovely times with her friends who made a great fuss of her.

[Anjuli_Bai]

I think what Spooky said is so important.  The time needed to heal should not be seen as an empty time,, but as an opportunity to fill it with other things.

 

It is important that full healing take place otherwise this could become a chronic problem.  Even after the pain subsides the healing is still going on.  She has youth on her side.

 

One of the problems with this kind of injury is that otherwise the dancer feels good and full of energy - it's not like having the flu where one feels tired.  So that energy has to be directed into different channels.  You might inquire of the physio of other physical activities such as swimming - something to use up that energy, give structure to the day and not complicate the injury.  People who exercise a lot (and dance is exercise) become addicted emotionally as well as chemically to physical activity.  So, other means of satisfying this need should be explored. 

 

It can end up being a positive time rather than totally negative.

 

I wish her a swift and total recovery.

[drdance]

Some great advice here already! Your DD's physio will be the only person who can advise on timescales etc and even they might be reluctant, as timescales can change during the healing/rehab process. The process is never a straightforward, linear thing, as there will be improvement followed by setback, followed by improvement again. 

 

Once the initial acute phase of the injury has passed, there are plenty of non weightbearing exercises that your DD can be doing. Watching might be frustrating, but students can learn a lot from watching, especially if their teacher involves them eg pointing things out, asking her to keep an eye out for certain things. As Spannerandpony has said, it can be a good time to really focus on posture and core strength, as well as turnout once the hip area starts to heal.

 

If you haven't already done it, get her to a really good sports or dance physiotherapist, and use their knowledge and expertise to guide you. Don't be afraid to ask questions and insist on being totally involved and clued up on everything that is going on. A good physio wants patient compliance, and a patient who knows what's what will be more compliant!

[Hophophop]

Hello everyone! I introduce myself because I'm new here, I'm Isa, from Spain but I'm actually dancing in a ballet academy in Berlin since one year ago. I have a problem and I'd like to share opinions with all of you. Ok, the problem is that lately, while dancing with the point shoes, my toes get little wounds between them. Nothing similar happened to me before, the nails of each toe are cut and I'm not wearing new point shoes. Dance with my point shoes is now a really painfull activity, as I have to add the normal pain to this new one. Any idea about what could be happening to my toes? Anyone have suffered more or less the same? Do you think I must use something to put between my toes? Are this not annoying?

 

Thanks so much for your help!

[Jan McNulty]

Hello Isa and welcome to the forum.  I've not got practical experience but I am sure other people will be able to offer some advice.

 

The one thing that is always advised is to seek help from a doctor or other appropriate medical professional.  That should be your first move.

[Anna C]

I agree. I do wonder if it's what we call "Athlete's Foot", because you mention little wounds between the toes - do you mean little cuts? It could be a fungal infection like that, purely from not drying in between the toes (and remember to dry your pointe shoes out in between classes).

 

But I do suggest that you seek medical advice for an accurate diagnosis. :-)

[Legseleven]

I was also thinking that it sounded just like athlete's foot, spannerandpony! If so it is easily dealt with - you can also use the medicated 'talcum' type powder regularly between your toes to prevent it recurring once it has been treated.

[Hophophop]

Hi again! First thanks for all your answers! Yes, I went to the doctor and he said it is not athlete´s foot. He said it has something to do with the way my nails grow up, no matter how short they are, as they will penetrate on my flesh. I don´t know why suddenly my nails hurt me and didn´t before. There is someone that could give me some tips about how to fix my toes? What do you do to protect your toes? Thank you very much!

[Anna C]

Hello Hophophop,

 

Firstly do you wash and dry your toes carefully after dancing, making sure to dry around your toes very carefully?

After washing and drying, I would not put any cream on your toes or feet, but instead wipe them with cotton wool dipped into what we call Surgical Spirit in the UK (and I believe they call it rubbing alcohol in the USA). Wipe carefully around the toes and nails and the surgical spirit will act as an antiseptic and harden the skin at the same time (also good for toughening up areas which may blister en pointe).

 

You could try taping around your toes with something like Gaynor Minden toe wrap, but make sure you remove it promptly after dancing.

 

I would also suggest that you see a good Chiropodist for advice about your toenails. My daughter's big toenails sometimes grow into the skin so I take her to the Chiropodist every few months for foot maintenance. She doesn't get any pain now.

 

It might be worth checking your pointe shoes to make sure the box is still supportive, and not dead, because sometimes that can cause pain too.

 

Good luck! :-)

[spooky]

When dd first started at vocational school (sixth form) she had some problems with her nails causing her pain. She saw a podiatrist who narrowed the nails on both big toes - the same procedure as is used for ingrowing toenails. She was only off dance for a couple of weeks and has had no further problems with her toenails - that was three years ago now. I would therefore suggest a visit to a podiatrist if you are still having problems,

[Hophophop]

Thanks for the answers. Yes, I 'll definitely go to the podiatrist because I tried everything between my toes and nothing change. The ballet class is really painful and I have to take them off before finish it, which is really frustrating. I tried wrap my toes but it always slip out and annoys me, I think because my feet sweat during the class. I always dip my feet in hot watter with salt, that's good to heal fast.Thanks for the suggestions! Ingrowing toenails are really painful too, hopefully she is good now!