Injuries happen all the time when you do any kind of exercise, particularly dance. It is often inevitable, yet there are many ways in which you can minimise the chances of it affecting you: Prevention is better than cure.

Warming Up

This is crucial before you start any strenuous or vigorous physical activity; take the time to warm up by stretching your muscles all over your body or by having a little run to get your circulation going. It only takes a couple of minutes to do and doing so makes all the difference to your activity.

Acclimatise Gradually

There’s no need to go from 0 to 60 once you begin exercise. Allow yourself to adjust and gradually increase the intensity of your dancing. To not do so runs the risk of hurting yourself before you’ve even properly started and it also makes you become very tired in a shorter space of time.

Use Proper Technique

Following the correct steps and in the correct way not only makes for easier progress for dancing, but it is always a lot safer. Working on your own technique strengthens your body and allows it to get used to actions in a certain way so that you become less likely to make a mistake and injure yourself. Practice is the key!

Wear Proper Clothing

Avoid constricting shoes and tight clothing as this can lead to cramps and you can overheat very fast too. Wearing items that can fall off your person – such as scarves and loose jewellery – can be harmful not only to yourself but to other dancers!

Eating and Drinking

You always dance best when you have a lot of energy and when you are properly hydrated. Remember to eat and drink something substantial before you dance – though not immediately before you start, because this can lead to cramps!

Overtraining and Pain

Pushing yourself too hard often makes things worse – overtraining makes you more tired and makes you more vulnerable to injuries. Dancing when you already have a painful injury, and ignoring it and pushing through, can make the injury worse, and this makes for a longer recovery time. The best thing is to rest and allow your body to recuperate.

Warming Down

This is just as important as warming up! Once you finish, wind your body down with some light stretching and with less intense pressure and movements so that you can revert back to a much less excited state.