injuries

[ballroomdancertoo]

I finished a tango performance about 3 weeks ago and a week later my ankle started to hurt. Very fustrating. I knew my legs would take a beating as the stucato movements can really cause havoc on the whole legs and feet. I tried epsom salt but my foot just got so swollen it scared the heck out of me. Later, a naturopath doctor said I put too much epsom salt in the water. And that I should use only a table spoon in a gallon of warm water. Anyone have tried remedies like this? How did it work out. Anyone have any suggestion about the right amount of epsom salt to water ratio? Thanks in advance.

[star_gazer]

I finished a tango performance about 3 weeks ago and a week later my ankle started to hurt. Very fustrating. I knew my legs would take a beating as the stucato movements can really cause havoc on the whole legs and feet. I tried epsom salt but my foot just got so swollen it scared the heck out of me. Later, a naturopath doctor said I put too much epsom salt in the water. And that I should use only a table spoon in a gallon of warm water. Anyone have tried remedies like this? How did it work out. Anyone have any suggestion about the right amount of epsom salt to water ratio? Thanks in advance.Wouldn't too much epsom salt have drawn the fluid out of your feet????

[wooh]

I've always dumped epsom salts in water for soaks and never had a problem, except I'm probably wasting epsom salts. If you're still having a problems, I'd suggest seeing a healthcare provider, you may need an xray to check for a stress fracture.

[Ravenmoon]

Too much epsom salt? I hadn't realized that too much would be harmful. I never had an issue with it.

[danceronice]

I just used like half a cup in probably a little more than a gallon on my aching feet (not from dancing, just bunions and lots of walking.) Didn't have a problem. And too much salt should dehydrate...weird. Try less, or maybe buy a soak specifically for feet?

[hereKittyKitty]

I soak in an Epsom salt bath sometimes. If I put more than two cups in the bath then I feel real dehydrated and tired the next day. But that's the only side effect I noticed. So I keep it at two cups for a whole bath. Here lately I just use Origins Muscle Easing bath soak and it works wonders.

[gracie]

Ice, elevate, and apply compressive wrap! Oh, and rest- it's called RICE;)

[star_gazer]

Ice, elevate, and apply compressive wrap! Oh, and rest- it's called RICE;)
R - Rest
I - Ice
C - Compression
E - Elevate

[Me]

I finished a tango performance about 3 weeks ago and a week later my ankle started to hurt. Very fustrating. I knew my legs would take a beating as the stucato movements can really cause havoc on the whole legs and feet. I tried epsom salt but my foot just got so swollen it scared the heck out of me. Later, a naturopath doctor said I put too much epsom salt in the water. And that I should use only a table spoon in a gallon of warm water. Anyone have tried remedies like this? How did it work out. Anyone have any suggestion about the right amount of epsom salt to water ratio? Thanks in advance.

Honestly, it sounds to me like something you have done recently has re-injured your foot, or perhaps made whatever injury from your tango worse. If this is the case, heat is a bad thing and will encourage swelling and inflammation. You might need a good cold soak instead. Just know that either could be bad, depending on what the problem is.

I think you should go to a doctor to check things out. If it is something like a stress fracture, you need to know before you make it worse.

Good luck and I hope you get well soon!

[QPO]

I injured a knee recently and used the RICE method and also REST which means rest! Perhaps once it has recovered you may want to wear a supoort strap while you practice until it fully recovers, but dont wear it to bed!

[Standarddancer]

My right ankle hurt last year when I fell...doctor suggested me use ice twice a day and I was wearing a ankle wrap (protector) daily. I don't wear court shoes for practicing, I wear low heel teaching shoes instead. Now it slowly heels, but I still have to be careful.

[ballroomdancertoo]

Thanks for all the info. I know things like this takes a while to heal. I think getting more blood circulating in the area is the key since the blood supplies nutrients to the damaged area. I have been massaging around the affected area (not the place that hurts but around it). I dont know if this will work but it's worth a try. By the way, I think after reading the replies that I should not have used hot water to put my foot in(I was thinking that the hot water would dissolve the crystals faster), maybe that caused my foot to swell.

[_malakawa_]

for us dancers it is important to stretch properly.

i had a knee surgery and my doctor showed me how i need to stretch my body.

when you are dancing you need to know which muscles to use so you don't saddle your knees and ankles.

RICE - http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/sportlich/n030.gif

[jerseydancer]

for us dancers it is important to stretch properly.

i had a knee surgery and my doctor showed me how i need to stretch my body.

when you are dancing you need to know which muscles to use so you don't saddle your knees and ankles.

RICE - http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/sportlich/n030.gif

Are there any DVDs on how to stretch for dancers? We started to work on the open routine in quickstep, and I am hurting all over after every practice. After all that hopping my back , my ankles and my thighs are killing me.

[_malakawa_]

Are there any DVDs on how to stretch for dancers? We started to work on the open routine in quickstep, and I am hurting all over after every practice. After all that hopping my back , my ankles and my thighs are killing me.


i haven't heard. but if you want i can prepare you some routine for stretching.

just give me a few days to write it down.

[jerseydancer]

i haven't heard. but if you want i can prepare you some routine for stretching.

just give me a few days to write it down.

That would be really great. I am sure many DF folks can appreciate that as well. Thank you.

[_malakawa_]

That would be really great. I am sure many DF folks can appreciate that as well. Thank you.

it is not a problem.

after my injury, i invited my doctor to a studio to give us some advice about stretching and practicing.

it was really helpful. i will contact him again, maybe he can write it down :p

i am crazy when i comes to dancing. 2 months after surgery i started to practice because of the world champion. my knee was three times bigger. every time after practice i was going home on a crutches. my doctor was so mad at me. and he said that i need to stop if i want to walk. he said that my knee need time to recover and after that i need to start stretch my self properly.

[ballroomdancertoo]

Yike! I thought I was bad...malakawa, are you 100% or is the injury still hanging around? I have been taking exercise classes for about 3 years now, my instructor, have compiled a number of exercise for the ballroom dancer. It includes exercises from pilate, yoga, gyrokinetics, ballet, etc. Maybe I should have a make a dvd about the exercises, hah!

[dldbm]

i haven't heard. but if you want i can prepare you some routine for stretching.

just give me a few days to write it down.

Thank you Malakawa -- that would be terrific!

[Chiron]

RICE - http://www.cosgan.de/images/smilie/sportlich/n030.gif

Yea RICE!

I would also recommend finding a good sports doctor to look at your foot. I'm guessing some of the pro's you know probably have some doctors they would recommend. A good doctor should be able to diagnose what is wrong, tell you how to heal right, and help prevent you from reinjuring yourself. Hope you heal fast!

[_malakawa_]

Yike! I thought I was bad...malakawa, are you 100% or is the injury still hanging around? I have been taking exercise classes for about 3 years now, my instructor, have compiled a number of exercise for the ballroom dancer. It includes exercises from pilate, yoga, gyrokinetics, ballet, etc. Maybe I should have a make a dvd about the exercises, hah!

my knee was in bad condition because of the previous injury. in 2000. two weeks before champion my partner incidentally drop me in a split and i broke my quadriceps (the main leg muscle). i went to see a doctor and he forbid me to dance for the next 6 months. i almost killed him :cool: i said that i have a champion in two weeks and i have to dance. he gave me 3 types of pills for a pain. i danced on a champion and i haven't stop after champion.

down part of my muscle pressed my knee ........ bla bla bla. so surgery was necessary.

after the surgery i spoke with my therapist and my doctor and they showed me how i need to stretch and what i need to do that my muscles become more strong so that i don't saddle my ankles.

i took so many exercise classes - and for a dancer i don't recommend pilates. and i will tell you why. pilates is like a gym, you build your muscles and they are becoming more and more stronger, but in dancing your muscles need to be strong but flexible. and those people who think that they will lose weight in pilates - wrong. they will only build their muscles.

[_malakawa_]

Yea RICE!

I would also recommend finding a good sports doctor to look at your foot. I'm guessing some of the pro's you know probably have some doctors they would recommend. A good doctor should be able to diagnose what is wrong, tell you how to heal right, and help prevent you from reinjuring yourself. Hope you heal fast!

with my foot everything is fine. :D

you quote wrong person.

[White Chacha]

I have two things to say about your foot. First is for you to think carefully about what you had been doing during the week after your Tango show. My experience is that pain from an injury will show up within two days of the injury itself. If you didn't have any symptoms until a week later, it's possible it wasn't related to the show.

My second thing is: go see a doctor!

[dancinrina]

As an EMT and a future doctor, I say whomever said RICE is absolutely right. If it's swollen that means that fluid is amassing in your leg. The best way to handle this is -
R - Rest - Try to stay off the leg as much as possible so as not to aggravate the injury
I - Ice - If you wrap the swelling in a cold pack it will help take down the swelling by constricting everything so that you can't have as much fluid leakage - One thing though - use the 2 minute rule - 2 minutes on, 2 minutes off. And wrap the cold pack in a towel or something otherwise you can actually cause yourself to get frostbite.
C - Compression - sometimes it's better not to use compression so do that only if it eases the pain and at your own discretion.
E- Elevation - By raising your foot above your torso, and perpendicular to it's usual position, you're allowing the fluid to move in the other direction - think gravity - thereby dissipating.

Now I have a question of my own. I know a lot about injuries but I don't quite know how to handle them in the long run. about a year ago I fell down a flight of concrete steps, and while aside from some bruising and bleeding, there really wasn't much of an issue. A year later, my leg still hurts under certain conditions (can't ride anymore because I can't post, stirrup digs into the same exact spot where I fell). I went to a doctor and it turns out that I have "bone bruising" it's not a break but an actual bruise on the bone. Has anyone ever had this and how do you handle it when you have to be on heels dancing (It's kind of painful at the moment)?

[fascination]

I have had it...and it takes a long time to feel better and beyond the stuff you already mentioned and pain meds...not much

[QPO]

REST REST REST and we all know how bad we are with that!

[samina]

I don't buy the "too much epsom salt" business...sounds to me like you've overworked a weak part of your body. Follow the RICE advice and when recovered, focus gently on building strength.