Sore Shoulder

Well it's finally happened... one of those things you always thinks happens to other people happened to me.

Dancing in Boston... wrenched my shoulder. I could feel the lead doing it each time he spun me-- a little extra downward pressure at the end. But only a little-- not even enough to say oww--it didn't seem that bad but here I am a couple of days later, stiff and without my usual range of comfortable movement. I didn't really notice it yesterday... but it caught up with me today... s t i f f.

I am now massaging and stretching the poor thing. Any extra recommendations? More importantly how do I prvent this? How do I tell a lead that it will eventually hurt although it does not at the moment? It seems like a small thing at the time... also, how do I get through the dance? I don't want to stop and give notes, nor stop following my lead... but how do I protect myself?

For future reference, just put it on yourself SK…just say that you have a bad shoulder, or recently injured it, or something to that effect, and ask if your lead could please try to be extra light for you.

so I just say I'm a gimp?

Swing Kitten said:

I am now massaging and stretching the poor thing. Any extra recommendations? More importantly how do I prvent this? How do I tell a lead that it will eventually hurt although it does not at the moment? It seems like a small thing at the time... also, how do I get through the dance? I don't want to stop and give notes, nor stop following my lead... but how do I protect myself?

Click to expand...

Use a `Pre-emptive Ouch' - say ow, even if you don't feel ow and ask your lead to please be gentle. Far better a small white lie than a real ow for a week.

Cheers
Sarah

Swing Kitten said:

so I just say I'm a gimp?

Click to expand...

Well, I wasn't going quite that far! :lol:

Still though, isn't it better to pretend to be one than to end up being one? :wink:

ok-- I see-- yes

no the other issue [now we're talking about principle] is that it just not good to have leads out there who unintensionally hurt people-- I know it's not my place to say anything (on the dance floor with out being asked) but then there's something inside me that wants to actually solve the problem... they're nice guys and I'm sure they don't want to hurt shoulders... but if they weren't nice guys it would be easier to not to care and let 'em have it... possibly make it sound a lot worse if they were real jerks... but they're not-- who's responsibility is it to tell them-- since it's not mine? Ignorance is bliss?? They can't fix it if they don't know about it. I don't feel the need to be the one to tell them to consider adjustment... but I feel they should know 'cuz knowledge is power.


Also I was wondering if the problem could have been in part due to my technique? Did I not follow it correctly? "Go with it" enough? Was there a problem with my frame? something I can actually do to follow that without sore reprocussions?

Swing Kitten said:

no the other issue [now we're talking about principle] is that it just not good to have leads out there who unintensionally hurt people-- I know it's not my place to say anything (on the dance floor with out being asked) but then there's something inside me that wants to actually solve the problem...

Click to expand...

It is absolutely your place to say something, when it's your body that's being damaged!

Shoulder (and other joint) injuries are a Really Big Deal; they can restrict your activities and cause pain for the rest of your life, and there often isn't much that doctors can do to restore strength and stability and normal usage even if they can diagnose the problem - which they often can't.

I have a friend who has been dealing with a mysterious injury for over a year now, and (whether it was caused by dance injuries or simply affected by them), she's at a point where she cannot use her right arm for dancing at all. Another friend who had bursitis and eventually surgery to cut a ligament in her shoulder, which made it so unstable she dropped out of dancing. And could cite other examples.

So please speak up when leaders are doing something which hurts you. Nobody else is going to speak up on your behalf.