8/9/17 - Injuries, Warm Ups and Cool Downs

What can cause injuries? (P is personal, E is environmental)

1. Wrong footwear/wearing socks P - can be too slippery which can cause you to fall over or trip
2. Incorrect clothing P - if too baggy it can get caught under your feet/other body parts and cause you to twist into an awkward position or trip over
3. Not warming up P - if your muscles are not warm you are much more likely to pull something and injure yourself
4. Not cooling down P - your body is not suited to going from high intensity exercise to regular movement so this is vital
5. No spatial awareness P - if unaware of other people and the space around you, you are likely to crash into something/someone and injure yourself and maybe other people as well
6. Not listening to instructions P - you may take the wrong direction or cause others injury as well as yourself
7. Wrong technique P - for example, turning your knees in when you land from a jump could result in long-term knee injuries
8. Slippery floor E - you could trip and fall over
9. Low ceilings E - if you jump too high you could hit your head or another body part
10. Obstructions E - you could trip over and fall
11. Smoking or drinking P - causes slower reaction times often and dizziness or being dazed which could result in tripping or poor spatial awareness
12. Bad teaching E - could result in the dancers not understanding what they need to do and going the wrong directions/doing the wrong movement which could cause collisions
13. Not listening to corrections P - could result in prolonged bad technique which could mean long-term gradual injuries or landing poorly from a jump etc
14. Teacher not giving corrections - could result in prolonged bad technique which could mean long-term gradual injuries or landing poorly from a jump and twisting an ankle etc
15. Bad studio conditions - could result in injuries from loose nails/sharp edges, could get cut
16. Anatomical causes E - could mean a dancer has back problems which make them prone to injury
17. Old injuries - for example dislocating your shoulder once means you are more likely to do it again
18. Flooring - lack of spring E (can cause injuries in feet, lumbar region of spine, metatarsals) - can mean painful landings from jumps which could result in twisted ankles/knee pains
19. Temperature (not warming up correctly if too cold, can't be chilled before/after/during activities) E - means the muscles cannot fully be warm which could lead to pulling muscles

What in a dance space can cause injuries?

1. Pillars/obstacles - can collide with them
2. Low ceilings - if jumping top high
3. Sharp objects/loose screws - sharp corners could cause cuts
4. Bad construction (weak light fixtures) - could fall and hit someone
5. Slippery floors - could cause people to trip and fall
6. Space is too small - not enough room causes collisions with dancers
7. Doors open too fast - someone could be standing nearby and it could hit them
8. Loose wires or cables - could trip over them and fall
9. Too many people in the space - too little room causes collisions
10. Trip hazards - could trip and fall
11. Broken mirrors - very sharp, cause cuts
12. Low lighting - can't see well, worsened spacial awareness, causes collisions
13. Loose barres - could fall off and hit someone
14. Air conditioning/heating (ideal temperature is between 18 and 24 degrees Celsius) - muscles do not warm up properly
15. Broken/worn out equipment - likely to break and hit someone or could be sharp and cut someone
16. Music too loud - cannot hear instructions being said which could cause wrong technique and collisions
17. Ventilation - not enough air in the room, muscles suffer
18. Scenery/props - could bump into them and collide with them

Prevention:

1. Wear layers - get warmer so the muscles warm up better
2. Physio - improve anatomical issues
3. Correct technique - reduced chance of landing badly for example in jumps
4. Warm up, cool down and stretch - muscles more warm and ready to move
5. Listen to instructions - hear everything so not likely to go the wrong direction for example
6. Be spatially aware - less likely to collide with others
7. Get enough sleep - not tired so are more aware and focused
8. Eat breakfast - more aware and ready to dance, increased concentration
9. Don't leave things in the studio - less likely to trip and fall
10. Maintainable of muscular strength, joint mobility, and cardio respiratory fitness - body becomes more used to high intensity workouts so less likely to injure self
11. Proper nutrition - in the best physical and mental state to dance
12. Wear correct clothes - less likely to get caught or trip
13. Hair tied up - can see at all times and more spatially aware
14. Not performing if injured/immediately after eating - knowing your own body's limits and better physical condition to rehearse
15. Know your body and limits - better condition to rehearse

Two types of injury:

1. Sudden stress on body - instant - such as landing badly from a jump and landing poorly on your ankle and twisting it, this could also injure your knees
2. One that happens over time - could be caused by turning knees in as you land from jumps, which over time could lead to bad knee injuries

Most common:

Sprains - injury to ligament at a joint as a result of a sudden wrenching movement, pulls bones in joint too far apart and tears tissues surrounding the joint. PREVENT by strengthening muscles in the ankle - to improve ankle strength one could use a stretch band, and place it over the ankle (underneath the toes) and slowly flex and point the foot, whilst pulling away with the band so that it is tight. When in recovery for a sprain, rest is necessary and you could apply ice and elevate the injured area.

Fractures - either open or closed. Open is when the skin is damaged and the bone may stick out. Closed is when the bone has cracked but the skin isn't damaged. Signs - heard it crack, tenderness and pain, not able to move affected area properly, swelling, looks deformed. To prevent 

Dislocations - bone pulled out of the normal position, caused by violent twisting. When recovering from a fracture, you must rest, apply ice and compression and elevate the injured area.

Torn cartilage - happens at knee, by violent twisting.

Strained/pulled muscle - caused by violent overstretching.

Cramp - when muscle fibres fail to relax, the blood supply is cut off, causing pain (if it happens slowly stretch the muscle out)

Stitch, cuts, bruises, abrasions (grazes).

Treatment for injuries:

R - est - stop doing the physical activity as soon as injured

I - ce (15 mins off, 15 mins on) - apply ice to the injured area
C - ompression - get a bandage to apply pressure to the injury

E - levation (to stop swelling, blood goes away from the area) - raise the injured area above the heart

Why warm up? 

1. Get the blood flowing, increase heart rate to get more oxygen to the muscles
2. To get mentally prepared
3. To prevent injury
4. Increase flexibility

What to include in a warm up:

1. Cardio to increase pulse rate
2. Joint mobility exercises - moderate stretching.
3. Stretching - to increase flexibility 
4. Muscle work - to prepare the muscles e.g. Ab exercises 
5. Skills that are part of the activity that you'll be doing
6. Pulse rate must be increased approaching that which will be reached during the activity. 

Why cool down? 

1. Reduces muscle pain the next day
2. Gets rid of lactic acid building in the muscles
3. Mentally calm yourself
4. Get heart rate back to resting heart rate from working heart rate
5. Repay oxygen debt
6. Increase flexibility

Our warm up:

Cardio, stretch, joint mobility, I am in charge of the ab and strength section of the warm up.

What I will lead:

1. 8 crunches
2. 8 with a flexed foot
3. 8 with a pointed foot
4. 8 in tabletop
5. 8 with straight legs
6. 8 in diamond
7. 8 with long legs
8. Then legs off floor slightly for 8 counts
9. REPEAT
10. Hold plank for 4 8s 
11. Then cobra stretch then downward dog. 
12. Feet together, roll up through spine.