Ask Colin: tender tendons

Dear Colin,
I wonder what you do when young people tear tendons in the ankles, groin or upper leg when doing splits repeatedly. Does physiotherapy always resolve the problem or is the dancer left with a weakness forever?
Helen

Dear Helen,
By taking the advice of a dance physiotherapist the problem can be resolved. A recurring muscle tear produces a tight band of scar tissue which prevents the dancer from moving freely and must be slowly broken down before returning to a strengthening regime and full dance training. If the young dancer is still in a growth phase, stretching is very dangerous and should never be attempted unless it has been approved by a dance physiotherapist.

Flexibility should not be regarded as a competition between dancers. Each body is different which means the range of motion of a joint is affected by the architecture of the joint which cannot be changed (about 85%), elasticity of the surrounding muscles (10%) and other factors such as age, gender etc. (5%). You should also note that tired muscles are also more prone to tightness, so choose to stretch only when the body is thoroughly warmed and relaxed. And please remember when stretching: being more flexible does not necessarily make a better dancer.

For more information visit the International Association for Dance Medicine and Science website.

Best wishes,
Colin

You can email your ballet questions to Colin at hello@behindballet.com