Sometime before writing this I was emailed by a dancer who had bought part 2 of Dance Better Now. She said that she was finding the book good, but that she had to modify the exercises due to pain from arthritis.
This got me thinking about how often pain holds us back from dancing as well as we could.
I have had issues with my Achilles’ tendon, my back and my knee at various times in the past. None of these issues were caused by dance. It was usually after exercising too hard or sleeping in the wrong position.
I also know people who have been unable to dance as they would like because of aches and pains from old injuries or just being old. I reckon that if you went to a random dance studio (as long there are not too many kids’ classes), then you would find that 10% to 20% of the people there could point to some source of pain that limited their dance ability or enjoyment.
If you have a serious injury, then you should not be dancing at 100% effort (or maybe not at all – depending).
However, what options do you have for aches and pains that just tax your enjoyment and ability?
One of the best tools that I have come across is a Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (T.E.N.S) machine.
These machines provide light electrical current to the area that causes pain. The science is out on how it works and how well it works for different applications. The basic theory at the moment is that the stimulation of the nerves causes them to transmit fewer pain signals.
I have used these and thought they were good. If you ever have troubles with aches and pains, then they are worth a go. The one in the ad below is a well-regarded one by many.
However, if you’re like me, and you want to test it first, then you can do so at a physiotherapist or a health festival. That’s where I first tried one and experienced how good they can be.
I still always try physical therapy first - I prefer my body works well - but sometimes ther is that nagging pain that you just need to deal with now. Or maybe it is something like arthrities, and all you can do is kill the pain.
Please note, I will likely get a financial compensation if you make a purchase via the links on my blog.
