Salsa pains

[AlexSem]

Ok,

I haven't seen this spring up in a while:

Who has knee issues due to salsa?

Who has back pains?

Who has hip pains?

Who has other issues?


I remember reading that Edie the salsa freak said she had a lot of pain from incorrect spinning technique.

I have consistent knee pains that basically have me limping at this point and I'm going for an MRI soon, sucks to say the least, and I wasn't involved in any sports injuries, I didn't even play sports, it's all due to salsa, probably incorrect technique and a lot of repetitions since I was real dedicated to becoming good. So who has/had similar problems? Who knows how to avoid them/fix them? :)

[Beto]

Ok,

I haven't seen this spring up in a while:

Who has knee issues due to salsa?

Who has back pains?

Who has hip pains?

Who has other issues?


I remember reading that Edie the salsa freak said she had a lot of pain from incorrect spinning technique.

I have consistent knee pains that basically have me limping at this point and I'm going for an MRI soon, sucks ass to say the least, and I wasn't involved in any sports injuries, I didn't even play sports, it's all due to salsa, probably incorrect technique and a lot of repetitions since I was real dedicated to becoming good. So who has/had similar problems? Who knows how to avoid them/fix them? :)
Stretch before dancing? See a massage thereapist every few months?

I tore a tendon in my left hand while spinning one of my favorite dancers and she was a light follow too! A few weeks of rehab (soft cast/splint, followed by a velcro one later) and I was pretty much good as new again.

Dancing can put a lot of wear and tear on the body, even with proper technique so it's not uncommon to develop injuries over time (like mine, which I'm guessing was the result of too many rough follows over the years and not realizing something was wrong).

[Shooshoo]

My feet and toes usually hurt after dancing, but this is probably cause I usually dance in heels.

I don't have other knee, back, etc pain, but I think it helps when you have strong body muscles which help not getting pain. Or at least I believe this has helped me avoid any pain.

[quixotedlm]

My feet hurt, except when I'm dancing.

[pielcanela]

:) my knees, they really took/take a beating. my feet hurt after long hours of training but in a day it goes away, the knees in the other hand bother me every so often.

what i did to help?, - I went to see a Dr first – who said I needed to strength my legs. So I lifted weights ( not to heavy) to build up the muscles in my legs for better support, used hot and cold therapy, and also massaged, not the knee itself, but the surrounding areas... it has help a lot,

[GTO Bruin]

I find after a long night of salsa, the deltoid area of my shoulders hurt. I'm assuming it's from the continual lifting of my arms to lead turns.

[englezul]

Ok,

I haven't seen this spring up in a while:

Who has knee issues due to salsa?

Who has back pains?

Who has hip pains?

Who has other issues?


I remember reading that Edie the salsa freak said she had a lot of pain from incorrect spinning technique.

I have consistent knee pains that basically have me limping at this point and I'm going for an MRI soon, sucks ass to say the least, and I wasn't involved in any sports injuries, I didn't even play sports, it's all due to salsa, probably incorrect technique and a lot of repetitions since I was real dedicated to becoming good. So who has/had similar problems? Who knows how to avoid them/fix them? :)

A friend of mine has a knee problem. Sometimes she can't sustain her weight on that foot anymore if she's tired enough, the knee starts shaking. She went to the doctors but everything looked fine. Anyone seen this before?

[noobster]

A friend of mine has a knee problem. Sometimes she can't sustain her weight on that foot anymore if she's tired enough, the knee starts shaking. She went to the doctors but everything looked fine. Anyone seen this before?Yeah, I've had the shakes once or twice after lots of exertion (all-day hikes over hard terrain). The cure is to rest, surprise. :)

Salsa has yet to give me the shakes. I did get really lightheaded once after I had five hard dances in a row and then got picked up by a leader who always, always stretches me to the max. I love dancing with him but I actually physically couldn't make it through that dance and had to sit down. It was pathetic, I was so embarrassed.

Pains the day after: the spin spots under the balls of my feet, of course. Some knee issues, but I always had those. Also some random muscle aches, like the lower edges of the lats and the external obliques. Nothing disabling so far. :)

[dosvueltas]

I have consistent knee pains that basically have me limping at this point and I'm going for an MRI soon, sucks to say the least, and I wasn't involved in any sports injuries, I didn't even play sports, it's all due to salsa, probably incorrect technique and a lot of repetitions since I was real dedicated to becoming good. So who has/had similar problems? Who knows how to avoid them/fix them?

It is extremely difficult to suggest how to fix problems without actually assessing and getting a working diagnosis. I suggest you see a good sports physical therapist. Doctors – if they are anything like most general practitioners in Asia – will probably just have you resting it, not treating the problem, so it comes back later. Go for your MRI and see what it says, but bear in mind MRIs don’t always give you the root cause of a problem. Abnormalities that show up may be counted as causes, but often they aren’t. So a functional assessment, especially if you want to go back to dancing, is still important.

By the way, sports injuries aren’t considered so only if they are sustained through sport. Any demanding physical discipline, such as dancing, also gives you problems that a sport person might have. It’s also classified as sport..

Stretch before dancing? See a massage therapist every few months?

Unfortunately, there is evidence to show that stretching before activity could actually increase the risk of injury. Stretching, like any exercise, causes microtears in the muscle fibre, so it’s conceivable that any such injury however minute can predispose one to injury if effected before strenuous or sustained activity.

Massage is good for recovery. However up to a certain point of damage it may shift in purpose from fuller recovery to pain management. In other words it becomes a panacea for injuries that should be dealt with, not ignored.


Dancing can put a lot of wear and tear on the body, even with proper technique so it's not uncommon to develop injuries over time

Exactly. No matter how ergonomic you make a task, if you do it over and over, your risk of injury will come from overuse. Stretch a rubber band a little, release it, no problems. But you do that over and over again over a long period of time and you start to lose elasticity, strength and integrity. You may need to modulate your activity periods; decrease the frequency maybe, or even the duration.

(like mine, which I'm guessing was the result of too many rough follows over the years and not realizing something was wrong).

For myself, I realise that getting old means that I don’t have the luxury of dancing with many followers as a gesture of friendliness or goodwill. I suffered a left brachialis tear, countless finger tendon strains, right and left rotator cuff pains from rough follows. I’ve now had to cut down on dances not just with poor follows, but all dances, period. I get flack, finger pointing, backstabbing, etc but I have to protect myself from further injury.


A friend of mine has a knee problem. Sometimes she can't sustain her weight on that foot anymore if she's tired enough, the knee starts shaking. She went to the doctors but everything looked fine. Anyone seen this before?

Sounds like fatigue tremor. Symptoms show only when tired after activity. Tested fresh nothing positive shows. The good news is that if physical assessment shows nada, the musculoskeletal components are probably okay. The bad news is you want to now investigate other causes like neurological causes. If that’s okay too, maybe a conditioning program might help.

[squirrel]

I have back pains sometimes, probably due to my flat feet.

I also have knee and ankle pains, due to the bad floor in our only club.

I've never had the problem of hip pain that Edie the Salsa Freak describes. :) And I am glad, as I enjoy spinning every now and then ;)

[sweavo]

I have consistent knee pains that basically have me limping at this point and I'm going for an MRI soon, sucks to say the least, and I wasn't involved in any sports injuries, I didn't even play sports, it's all due to salsa, probably incorrect technique and a lot of repetitions since I was real dedicated to becoming good. So who has/had similar problems? Who knows how to avoid them/fix them? :)


Would that be mostly your right knee? You can get this from turning on too grippy shoes / bad floors.

[Catarina]

My lower back ends up feeling really tight and sometimes sore after a good night of dancing, and if I don't take time to stretch out my hams, gluts, and then back muscles really well before falling into bed that night, or throughout the next day, I end up with increased pain. My back has been tight throughout my sports life and so I'm used to this kind of regimine.

[alemana]

lately, my neck from doing head whips.

[AlexSem]

Would that be mostly your right knee? You can get this from turning on too grippy shoes / bad floors.

It is my right knee but I've been wearing jazz sneakers for the longest time, and I only dance on wooden floors. I used to have classes on this goddamn rubber floor and that's when I first started noticing that my knees would be really tired afterwards but I quit going there and haven't been back there for the past 6 months and that didn't help it any, they just got worse and worse with time.

[Gypsy Wishing]

I went through the knee thing, very carefully analysing every move and eliminating and side pressure helped a lot, it can be done without killing your style.

[danzur]

I have had a lot of back/leg/foot(toe) pain. Acupuncture helped releive the tightness, followed by IMS (intramuscular stimulation) to get the muscles to relax even further.

I would totally agree with strengthening exercises, stretches after dancing, resting it as well as cold/hot applications.

[salsamale]

...
Who has knee issues due to salsa?

Who has back pains?

Who has hip pains?

Who has other issues?
...
My knees feel tender, my left knee especially, there is soreness in my arches and Achilles tendons, and general tightness in my back and lumbar region. It is worth it :).

[starry]

I gave myself a nasty upper hamstring tear that is taking forever to heal. I had the MRI two weeks ago, though the injury happened mid-January. My intial doctor did not give me any diagnostic tests, other than her own hands-on assesment. I traded her in for a new doc when the injury did not heal at the rate she said it should and she still was reluctant to order testing. Been through therapy, and am now seeing a second doctor who told me I need to rest it now for at least a month and restart PT at the rate of three times a week. I got the injury at team practice, doing a split. It was the end of a two-hour practice and I landed too hard into the split. Pop goes the muscle! This is a real bummer, as I have to again be taken off the performance schedule and not practice with the team or with my partner. Grrr.
gr
This is my first significant injury after 3.5 years of performing several times a month and practicing at least twice a week, so I guess I should be grateful that I stayed healthy that long.

[squirrel]

I find after a long night of salsa, the deltoid area of my shoulders hurt. I'm assuming it's from the continual lifting of my arms to lead turns.

LOL You apparently lead a lot of turns!

[GTO Bruin]

LOL You apparently lead a lot of turns!

Yeah, my girlfriend will vouch for that! :banana: Though probably no more than the average salsero.

[tj]

Ow, sorry to hear that Starry.

[SalsaTO]

I've have a few aches in my knees from sticky floors, achy hips from running too many miles in too short a time. And I've taken hits in the back, the forehead, and have been stepped on more than a few times. So I know sore. I'm also working with my dancing partner who tore ligaments in her knee and is just getting back to dancing after 7 months.

Salsa dancing works some but not all the muscle groups. Muscle imbalances develop over time and leave you open to injury. Ballet dancers recognized that and most now have personal trainers and hit the weight room several times a week. The strength training allows the muscles, not the joints to take the load from the dancing. And balanced muscle strength can reduce the chance for injury.

Do not do not try to work or dance through pain. Pain is the body's warning system that something is breaking - bone or muscle or ligament. Stop, see what the problem is and get it attended to. Working through pain will aggravate the injury and possibly leave you with permanent damage. All for a leisure activity?

When you get tired, stop. Fatigue will affect muscle tone, technique and the usual checks and balances that one uses to avoid injury. This is when a lot of injuries occur. Stop. Pick it up later when you are rested.

Stretching is just as important as the activity itself. Stretching will maintain and improve flexibility or range of motion, and it helps to dissipate lactic acid, the by-product of exercise. Stretch after the dancing, or at the end of the night when the muscles and ligaments are still warm. Cold muscles tend to tear. Over 25 folks really really need to stretch as they start to lose resilience as the collogen in their bodies begins to dry out. Stretch the major muscle groups including calves, thighs, butt, shoulders, and wrists.

If you are dancing more than two or three hours a week, or are practicing for shows, start treating salsa as an athletic endeavour. Warm up slowly, take breaks, keep hydrated - drink lots of water.

Strengthen the legs so the muscles take the load instead of the joints. The knee was not designed to take the twisting forces that salsa turns and spins inflict on it. Strong muscle groups above and below the knee will help to protect the joint. Go into the gym and work with weights.

Strengthen the back, chest and shoulder muscles to protect the shoulder joint from over enthusiastic leaders.

Examine the turn patterns in your repetioire and see which ones are especially hazardous. Either drop them or ensure your technique protects the shoulders, especially from sloppy hammerlock turns or positions where the follower has her back to the leader who is holding her arms extended and behind her centre line like a reverse bow and arrow. The shoulder was not designed for that. Sometimes the follower does shines from that position which only aggrevates the strain on the shoulders.

Strengthen the arms and the flexors that work the fingers. Muscle strength through the fingers, wrist and hands is important as all the force from a lead funnels from or into the body through the fingers. Fingers really weren't designed for that. Keep the lead light, while the hands are tight so as to protect the ligaments in the hand and the wrist.

Stilettos have their own challenges. Ladies, learn how to walk and turn in them before hitting the dance floor. Do some abdominal exercises. The spine is held up by both the back muscles and the abdominal muscles. Weak abs force the back muscles to overwork. They get achy and sore. The back can ache from wearing heels or stilettos too. Strong abs will also help the body work with the shift in the pelvis and the lumbar region that comes from wearing heels or stilettos. Definitely stretch the calves after a night of heels.

Take responsibility and protect yourself.

If you get injured, get it attended to right away. Trying to 'work' through an injury will only make it worse and possibly leave you with a permanent disability.

The woman who tore a hamstring doing the splits in a routine should expect to be off from six weeks to six months, depending on the severity and physical condition. The physician will diagnose and if necessary surgically repair the injury and prescribe a course of treatment to rehabilitate the affected body part. A sports or dance oriented physiotherapist will design an exercise and activity program that will safely bring the body part to - hopefully - pre-injury functionality.

I knew a woman who had her wrist dislocated from an over-enthusiastic lead. 6 weeks plus in a brace, and who knows much time in physio to bring that wrist back to pre-injury form.

Look to other disciplines for their expertise. If one's routines have dips, flips, splits, drops and other gymnastic sorts of moves, talk to the gymnasts and see how they prepare and protect their bodies for these movements.

Overuse can bring on aches and pains. Edie the Salsa Freak is a professional dancer who makes money either teaching, performing or demonstrating salsa. How many hours a week does she dance? And she's over 25 so her resiliance is declining. Watch out for overuse. If something starts to ache, take a close look right away. And rest as you body tells you.

Salsa starts where the feet hit the floor. The right sole for the right floor will minimize strain and perhaps prevent the knee aches that plague a lot of enthusiastic spinners and turners.

Be vocal with your dancing partners - if something they do is uncomfortable or hurts, tell them. If they don't listen, walk away, even in the middle of a dance. Walk to dance another day.

Hope this helps.

[MacMoto]

The only pain I get that's *caused* by salsa is hip pain -- the outside of the right hip joint (i.e., top of the right leg) hurts after dancing. I've been wondering if this is the pain Edie talks about -- I should have asked her when I saw her. I should get my prep checked.

I also have a dodgy knee, which was not caused by salsa but caused at a salsa event -- I fell and knocked my left knee against a stone step when I arrived at a weekender. Then I danced all weekend without resting or icing it, and by Monday it had ballooned like a melon. That was three years ago and the knee's still not right.

I also get neck/shoulder pain. This is due to occupational overuse, but dancing seems to make it worse. I'm trying to be more aware of tension in the area when dancing -- I get VERY tense and it makes me a heavy follower, so I really need to work on that.

Be vocal with your dancing partners - if something they do is uncomfortable or hurts, tell them.

I'm very bad at this -- I think I need to practise.

[Sagitta]

Knees and feet due to combination of footwear and floors. One can buy "peds" to help reduce floor friction. They work pretty well.

[salsamale]

My knees feel tender, my left knee especially, there is soreness in my arches and Achilles tendons, and general tightness in my back and lumbar region. It is worth it :).
My left knee seems to be ok now, but now my right knee feels a bit tender. I am experimenting with off-the-shelf orthotics/ orthotic inserts, to help with my feet. First try felt a bit weird, as if my feet didn't know where the ground was, and I kept losing balance, tipping over to either side. I'll give it a few more tries to see if I can adapt, but now I can appreciate what women must go through when switching from heels to flats.

[Sabor]

*edited* .. oops posted on wrong thread.

[tangotime]

She,s over 25 and declining ???????-- gee, I must be in real trouble !!!.

I,m in my 70 th yr of dance, as student and teacher ( full time ).Not unusual for many prof,s.--the difference ?--- until coming back to the u.k.,I danced salsa 4/5 nites a week , plus teaching on a regular basis( and I mean DANCED ). never , ever , had problem one with legs or feet . Never taken any precautions other than common sense . Have I been lucky ? maybe . Good shoes have always been my number 1 priority .

I see so many people , who do not wear the correct type of footwear ( not necessarily dance shoes) that could be prone to foot abuse , on a long term basis .

[salsamale]

...
I see so many people , who do not wear the correct type of footwear ( not necessarily dance shoes) that could be prone to foot abuse , on a long term basis .
What footwear do you wear/ what would you recommend? Thanks :).

[tangotime]

Tough question to answer-- if street shoe, leather sole and heel ( fairly thin ) NO slip ons/ casuals. and make sure the leather is supple. if you decide to go the dance shoe route, same rules apply, but get the best quality you can afford, the investment is worth it -- stay with leather ( not patent ).

[englezul]

Ok,

I haven't seen this spring up in a while:

Who has knee issues due to salsa?

Who has back pains?

Who has hip pains?

Who has other issues?


I remember reading that Edie the salsa freak said she had a lot of pain from incorrect spinning technique.

I have consistent knee pains that basically have me limping at this point and I'm going for an MRI soon, sucks to say the least, and I wasn't involved in any sports injuries, I didn't even play sports, it's all due to salsa, probably incorrect technique and a lot of repetitions since I was real dedicated to becoming good. So who has/had similar problems? Who knows how to avoid them/fix them? :)

Hit the gym. Start light and over several months build the resistance in your joints and the muscles around them. That's how you do it. And when i say start light, I mean just that, some people go there and destroy their joints because they start benching or curling the max weight they feel they can tackle forgetting their joints are not ready.

[salsamale]

I gave-up on orthotics for salsa dancing. The kind I got were too stiff. I still need to try leather soles (and heels?). For now, both my knees are ok. I recently spent some time on the ergometer/ rowing machine - that seems like the perfect exercise for strengthening legs and knees.

[AlexSem]

Hit the gym. Start light and over several months build the resistance in your joints and the muscles around them. That's how you do it. And when i say start light, I mean just that, some people go there and destroy their joints because they start benching or curling the max weight they feel they can tackle forgetting their joints are not ready.

It's funny reading this now, because that's exactly what happened :D I knocked out my elbows pretty good - I can't lift anymore :D Time to look like a weakling and do wall push-ups and such... Sad sad life where the obvious precautions are not clearly indicated and you find out after the fact when it takes god knows how long to fix what's been done...

:) Life

[englezul]

It's funny reading this now, because that's exactly what happened :D I knocked out my elbows pretty good - I can't lift anymore :D Time to look like a weakling and do wall push-ups and such... Sad sad life where the obvious precautions are not clearly indicated and you find out after the fact when it takes god knows how long to fix what's been done...

:) Life

Haha, you'll survive. :). Get some straps.

[poopy]

GIRLS- How do you avoid injury on the dance floor? After going out everyweek for 2 months my back/neck have been REALLY bad. I normally have back problems and I regularly see a chiropractor- atlas orthoganist specialist. But I'm afraid if I go out again I'll get hurt again. My salsa instructor also said to be careful because she knows alot of girls who get their necks broken by the guys out here.

Should I just tell each person I dance with that I have back problems and to take it easy? That would be a real turnoff though.

How do pro. salsa/ ballroom dancers not get neck injuries with all the head whipping/ dropping they do?

[quixotedlm]

don't stop dancing.
dance with "safe" lead's who you like.
warn them about your injury - it's not a turnoff.

[quixotedlm]

how not to get injuries - stretch, strengthen, muscle memory, self-protection (hijack lead :)

[poopy]

how not to get injuries - stretch, strengthen, muscle memory, self-protection (hijack lead :)

how is this going to keep me from throwing out my neck if the lead drops my neck and yanks it back up? how do professional salsa dancers do this without hurting themselves? i dont get it!!!

[AlexSem]

When does the lead ever throw ANYTHING in salsa? Wow... Yanks it back up? Wow...

I think it's time you reconsider who you dance with... Last time someone grabbed my fingers so hard they hurt for a day, I blacklisted the lady for life, same goes for extremely heavy dancers who expect you to "throw" around :)

I think going to a few salsa classes and learning what real salsa is about would do you a lot of good. I've never heard of anyone throwing or yanking other than those folks who are clueless about salsa and always end up knocking other dancers over and stepping on each other's toes...

[noobster]

When does the lead ever throw ANYTHING in salsa? Wow... Yanks it back up? Wow...
I see poopy lives in LA. Maybe that's got something to do with it.

But even for a neck drop... I don't think your weight is really supposed to be on your neck. The lead isn't pulling your whole body weight up by your neck. You have your own center on the way down and on the way back up as well.

[poopy]

Ya it gets pretty crazy in the clubs over here. Obviously we don't do these stunts in classes but the guys at the clubs are crazy, they like to do really showy stuff.

[sweavo]

sounds like there needs to be a couple of high-profile lawsuits to cool their jets!