Ruth Magee, BA (HONS) Sports St., BSc Physiotherapy, MPHty Manipulative Physiotherapy, MISCP : Ruth is both a physiotherapist and Pilates Clinician and has worked with Riverdance for almost 3 years on Broadway, in Europe and the Far East. She works extensively with dance and sports injuries, and has successfully reduced the injury rates amongst dancers. Ruth also lectures at Trinity College and University College Dublin. Training throughout the world, Ruth has a BA (HONS) in Sports Studies from the University of Ulster in Belfast, a BSc in Physiotherapy from Queen Margaret University College in Edinburgh, and a masters in Manipulative Physiotherapy, from Brisbane, Australia. Ruth recently opened a clinic near Dublin, specializing in Dance injuries and Pilates.

Warm Up & Cool Down
by Ruth Magee

Adult dancers are very different to younger dancers, in that adults are generally stiffer, more inflexible and they may not have done any type of dancing before. Adult dancers can be brilliant at Irish dancing, reaching a very high level, but you need to work at it. One of the first things that stops an adult dancer getting ahead, is that they injure themselves, knocking themselves out of action for days, weeks or even months.

I am sure that you all realise by now, that if you have an injury, the older you are, the longer it can take to recover. Dancers and athletes tend to feel slower when they start into their late 20’s / early 30’s. There are very few professional athletes / dancers that can maintain a high performance level into their 30s.

The chances are that if you are dancing 1 to 3 times a week, without following a well-balanced training programme, you might find that you are doing more harm than good. If you have an imbalanced training programme, you may develop a muscle imbalance – this is when one muscle becomes too weak and another becomes too strong, and this can lead to injuries and pain.

An easy way of explaining this is by looking at how muscles work. Every time you use a muscle it grows or changes shape. It can contract or shorten, or it can lengthen. What tends to happen with Irish dancers, is that over a period of time, with repetitive use, some muscles become tight and short. The muscles that tend to become tight are the calf muscles, the hamstrings (at the back of the thigh), the quadriceps (at the front of the thigh), and the hip flexors (the groin muscles).

Each time before and after you dance, you need to stretch – the warm-up and cool-down. You need to stretch, to get that muscle back to its normal resting length. Try to spend a half an hour on your warm-up and cool down, and make sure that you are ready for your class before it starts, as many classes expect you to arrive ready to go. If you are stuck for time, spend at least 10 minutes stretching, and just concentrate on the calf, hamstrings and quadriceps muscles as these are the most likely to be injured. Stretching before you dance will help prevent injuries and will improve your performance. Stretching after you dance will help lengthen the muscle again and stop it becoming short and tight. Stretching after you dance will also get rid of the stiffness and heavy leg feeling that you may feel the day after dancing. Stretching must become part of your daily dance routine.

Stretching can also be used to improve your technique and overall dancing. If you do a 1 hour flexibility programme, a couple of times a week, you can work on those areas of your body, which you know are tight. This in turn will help improve the height of your cuts, your kicks, and just make you more supple and stronger. If you are too flexible, you need to concentrate less on flexibility, but more on a muscle-strengthening programme. Being too flexible can make you more prone to injury, so be careful that you don’t push your flexibility further when you are fine as you are.

Make sure that you also work on your overall strength and cardio - vascular fitness. Try and do at least 3 X 40 minute sessions of low-impact aerobic exercise a week. This can be swimming, cycling, walking, stepping etc.

The Irish Dance Fitness Plan video and DVD outlines in detail the exercises you should do. It also goes through a comprehensive muscle strengthening and balance programme. Make sure that you look at the footwear section, as the most injured area with the adult dancer is the foot, as they tend to be stiffer.

BASIC STRETCHES

There are a wide variety of approaches to stretching, and I am just going to outline a few of the basic stretches you should do. The static stretch is probably the safest and easiest to start with. A static stretch is when you hold the stretch for 30 –60 seconds and you repeat it 2 or 3 times. You can do the same stretches for your warm up and cool down after dancing.

It is important when doing a flexibility programme that you do not feel pain. The stretches may be uncomfortable, but not painful. Please stop if there is any pain. If you are unsure about your capability to do any of the stretches, do not do them without seeking specific guidance from a physiotherapist. Stretching can cause injury when performed improperly, and it is important that you do not bounce your body while in the stretched position.

It’s a lot to take in but while you do the stretches, remember to breathe, and stand correctly. Don’t push it too far, as good flexibility takes time and commitment. Concentrate and focus on the areas of your body that are particularly tight. Each body is different so discover where you are tightest!

STRAIGHT LEG CALF STRETCH –
FOOT STRAIGHT, TURNED IN, TURNED OUT

• Stand facing a wall with your right leg stretched back, your right foot straight, and your right heel on the ground. Keep your left foot forward.
• Start to bend the left knee, allowing the pelvis to move towards the wall.
• Keep the back straight and facing forwards.
• Feel the stretch in the calf muscle and hold it for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each leg.
• When you have done the stretches with the foot straight, then trying turning the foot in, so you feel the stretch on the outside of the calf muscle. Hold this for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each leg.
• Then turn the foot out, so you feel the stretch on the inside of the calf muscle. Hold for 40 seconds and repeat this twice.

BENT KNEE CALF STRETCH –
FOOT STRAIGHT, TURNED IN, TURNED OUT

• Stand facing a wall, with your feet a stride length apart, and both feet facing forwards. Start with your right foot behind the left.
• Bend both knees at the same time, keeping the knees going out over the second toe of each foot, so the arches don’t roll in.
• Pretend that you are sitting down, but try not to stick your bottom out!
• Keep the heel on the ground.
• Feel the stretch in the right calf, near the Achilles tendon, at the bottom of the calf muscle.
• Hold the stretch for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each leg.
• Then try doing the stretch with your foot turned in. Hold it for 40 seconds and repeat it twice.
• Once you have done those stretches, try turning the foot out

CALF STRETCH OVER A STEP

• Find a step, or the bottom step of a staircase
• Place the ball of your right foot on the step, whilst the left foot is resting on the step.
• Keep the right leg straight, and allow the right heel to drop over the edge of the step.
• Feel the stretch in the calf muscle
• Hold for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each leg.

CALF STRETCH UP A SLOPE

• Find a sloping surface – a hill, a ramp, or place a book under the ball of the foot.
• This will make it harder to do the calf stretches, as the foot is flexed.
• Now try and do the straight leg and the bent knee calf stretches which were outlined earlier, while you are standing on the slope or have the book under the ball of the foot.

HAMSTRING STRETCH LYING ON BACK

• Lie on your back on the floor with both legs straight out
• Take hold of the right thigh with both hands
• If you can’t reach the thigh, use a towel and hook it around the thigh
• Pull the thigh up towards your chest, but make sure that you keep the other leg straight out, flat on the floor, and don’t let the tailbone come off the floor
• Try to straighten the knee
  
• The aim is to get a straight leg to 90 degrees, without the tailbone coming off the ground, or the other leg moving.
• Feel the stretch at the back of the thigh
• Hold the stretch for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each leg
  

HAMSTRING STRETCH USING A BELT

• When you can comfortably do the hamstring stretch outlined above, take hold of a belt / towel.
• Hook the belt around the ball of the right foot
• Flex the foot and try to straighten the leg
• Again keep the left leg straight out and keep the tailbone on the ground.
• Feel the stretch at the back of the thigh and calf
• Hold the stretch for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each side.
  

• Standing up tall and straight, take hold of the right ankle
• Pull the heel towards the buttock
• Keep the knees together, and keep the pelvis facing forwards
• Try not to twist or turn the back
• Feel the stretch down the front of the thigh
• Hold it for 40 seconds and repeat it twice on each side
• Practice your balance at the same time

Advice given here is just that -- advice. If you are suffering from an Irish dance injury, please see your doctor for treatment.

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