The latest on injury care.
Injuries are part of life's activities. I haven't met one person, in or out of dance, who hasn't experienced an injury.
The difference between injuries in dancers vs non-dancers is the importance of the extent of recovery of that injury.
The goal is to heal as fast as possible so that the dancer can get back to the insane hours of physical training.
By the way, that is something that pro athletes do not do because they prioritize recovery.
I recently had a conversation with a dance clinician at a University where she works with professional dancers and helps them reach the next level in their careers.
What she is seeing in the young adult dancers is directly related to the conversations we need to be having with dance moms.
We will talk about these gems in our podcast episode in a few weeks.
But for now, I'm sharing just some new therapies and approaches that came up during our conversation, novel but not new therapies some of my clients are sharing with me, as well as some supplement updates I recently discovered.
1. Platelet-Rich-Plasma Therapy
This is not new, but somehow most doctors do not consider it a therapy worth mentioning to their dancer patients.
Research on this therapy showed promise nearly a decade ago, but since then, only 'brave enough' practitioners have been using it for their patients.
While the research study testing its use focused on lower extremity injuries, the outcomes showed that 13 of 19 participants healed. And the primary reason the others didn't benefit as much was due to the extent of their injuries.
When reading such research, I often consider multiple perspectives.
While yes, just 19 study participants is a very small number. We also want a control group in a research study to compare therapy outcomes with those of non-therapy groups.
The importance of appropriate scientific research in these 'alternative' therapies can't be understated.
But then, I hang my scientist hat and put on dance mom glasses with the following frame in mind:
If it helped one person, then there's a chance this can help my dancer, too.
While we did not use this therapy for my dancer, as I haven't heard about it until just this week, I used this thought filter when helping my dancer heal the torn meniscus without surgery.
If we had PRP available, I would most definitely explore the possibility with her health provider.
Why?
Because you can always choose surgery, but you can't UNDO the surgery.
If it is not a true medical emergency and, after a thorough evaluation and consideration of the extent of the injury, conservative options are appropriate, it is important to consider them.
2. Shockwave Therapy
Sound therapy is a true 'magic bullet' that has been used in Europe forever, but has been suppressed in US -because it just works too well and without the pharmacological interventions that cost a lot more.
The precise name for this therapy is: Extracorporeal Shockwave Therapy (ESWT).
It involves using sound waves through short bursts to help push all the growth factors, help grow blood vessels to deliver essential nutrients to the damaged area, help collagen formation at the injury site, and even disrupts bad nerve firing that causes pain at the injury.
It is a remarkable therapy that every sports center should use, but since it works so well and is so much cheaper than surgery and medications, you can see why it didn't gain traction in the conventional medical circles.
If you want to learn more about this therapy, here's a direct link to a place that uses it for athletes' care:
Here's the link to more precise information on this therapy.
3. Super supplement
The more I learn about Curcumin, the more I fall in love with this beautiful compound.
BUT, not all Curcumin supplements are created equal, and that's what we will talk about here.
Before we move on, let me note a few technical terms to help you make sense of what I'm referring to here:
Bioavailability -the amount of the supplement your dancer is taking that actually gets used by the body.
Fillers -components that are added to the supplement to fill the space, have no therapeutic effects, but may cause some issues.
Curcumin has very low bioavailability, so it needs quite a few helpers to get into our cells and do the job we want it to do.
Research showed that combining curcumin with the active compound of black pepper -piperine- helped improve absorption of curcumin by 60%!
This means, at least:
Do not buy any curcumin supplements that don't contain piperine.
Taking an appropriate amount at a time is essential as well. The typical dose of curcumin capsules is 500mg. This is far from the active amount that I see recommended by clinicians. Typical recommendation is 2g =2000mg!
So:
Talk to your healthcare provider about the most appropriate dosing for what you're trying to achieve.
Do not just self-treat with a small dose, as it may be doing absolutely nothing for your dancer, while emptying your wallet.
Now, I also mentioned fillers. Many companies use GMO and synthetic ingredients in their supplements. I've seen many with rice bran, maltodextrin, stearic acid, titanium dioxide, and many others.
Many reputable companies have found ways to avoid using these substances and to provide high-quality, effective nutraceuticals.
The companies I use for most of our supplements are:
Pure Encapsulations; Protocol For Life Balance; Klaire Labs/SFI Health; Global Healing Center
While I do trust these companies the most, I still check ingredients all the time. Companies get sold, change formulations, so it is up to us, the consumers, to ensure we know what we're consuming.
It also doesn't mean you can't use any other companies!
Check the ingredients list, do your research, then make informed decisions.
Do This Week:
- If your dancer has an injury, explore the alternative therapies we discussed -as your dancer's provider.
- If your dancer is taking any supplements, check the bottles for fillers and other ingredients that don't seem necessary.
- Reflect on how far you and your dancer have come on their healing journey!
And as always...
...if you have any follow-up questions, send me a DM on Instagram or email me your takeaways, questions, or concerns. I'll review them and give you my thoughts on what your next step could be.
team@thrivingdancers.com
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