Sports focused physical therapy & performance training in Algonquin, IL
Sports Specific Care
Dance & Performing Arts Physical Therapy
Keeping Our Dancers On Their Toes
How Can Physical Therapy Help Performing Artists?
Here at Athletic Edge and Wellness we understand that the performing arts athlete may encompass many different roles; gymnastics, cheer, and dance. Dance may include jazz, tap, hip-hop, contemporary, theatrical, and ballet and may perform in solos, as part of a small or large group, or compete in a team. Performing artists are endurance athletes requiring unique movement patterns that require strength and stamina all while making it look effortless.
Improve Posture, Balance & Symmetry
Gymnasts and dancers use a series of postures that are linked by smooth and graceful transitions. If one segment or link in the kinetic chain is out of balance, this sets up the potential for performance error as well as a predisposition to injury if the movement is repeated enough. Successful movement is determined by the ease of movement into the next posture. This might be looking at neck and back posture, symmetry between arm and legs , foot alignment, and balance in movement.
Improve Muscular Endurance
These athletes must perform high-intensity, intermittent exercise, which demands power for explosive jumps, leaps, and bounds. Dancers require muscular endurance to maintain high levels of cardiovascular endurance to execute low-intensity exercise while the gymnast must execute high intensity acrobatic movements that requires balance, flexibility, and strength. Without this endurance, the athlete is left susceptible to fatigue, which effects skill, performance, and alignment and increases the risk of injury.
Improve Control
The performing artist must use the integration of visual, vestibular, and somatosensory information to facilitate accurate positioning and control of movement of the body in space. Sensory inputs must coordinate with the muscles of the body to maintain proper alignment while moving through positions and shapes. Performance suffers if the artist can not complete a skill with proper control.
Our physical therapy program blends together the principals of biomechanics, performance, and dance specific techniques.
Understanding that the body in motion is a dynamic 3-D chain of moving parts, it is only as strong as its weakest link. One part can affect the whole body and create dysfunction and pain. Performing artists often suffer from overuse injuries from repeated movements and stress on supporting tissues.
Common Conditions We Treat
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Hip tendonitis
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Patellar tendonitis
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Shin splints
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Achilles/heel pain
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Foot and ankle sprains and strains
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Low Back Pain
Wellness Tune-ups
Unlike traditional physical therapy clinics, we offer a full compliment of wellness services to our performing athletes. Many of our performing artists do not have seasons like other sports; they are training most of the year from one performance to the next. We offer a variety to services to keep our athlete healthy; from manual therapy/massage, 3-mobility work, cupping, voodoo flossing, normatech recovery, and dance specific strengthening.
Contact Athletic Edge & Wellness Physical Therapy for pain relief, wellness & assessments
Set up an Appointment Today!