Dance Injury - Hamstrings Essay Example for Free

Dance Injury Hamstrings Essay Dance is an art form. Professional dancers pride themselves for being able to express complicated emotions through the artistic interpretation of movements. Like athletics, dancers are very prone to physical injury, that is, their work requires intense physical training in which often result in mild or severe injuries. This essay will attempt to investigate and understand what is the hamstring strain or tear injury, how it occurs, and ways to prevent such injury. A dance piece is constituted with a variety of movements displayed by the human body. One of the primary functions of the skeletal system is to provide support and shape while the muscular system is to provide a range of movements by moving the different limbs of the body. Therefore, the kinesiology muscle of a dancer that directs the leg into amazing moves is complicated. The hamstring muscle group consist of three muscle; the Biceps Femoris, Semitendinosus, and the Semimembranosus. The hamstring muscle group is located at the back of the thigh. According to â€Å"The Anatomy of Exercise and Movement†, the Bicep Femoris is the largest and most lateral of the three hamstring muscles. It has ‘the long head’ and ‘the short head’ making it a bicep muscle. Its primary purpose is to contract, consequently helping in hip outward rotation. As for the other two hamstring muscles, the Semitendinosus and Semimembranosus are completely synergistic, doing the same actions together. Working at the hip, both muscles extend and are active in internal rotation (pg.144). All three muscles in the hamstring muscle group have the same origin, which is the Ischial Tuberosity, also known as the sitz bone, situated at the bottom of the pelvis bone. Even though the F asdf asdf asdf asdf asdf asdf asdf hamstring muscle group have same origins, each muscle has a different insertion, the Bicep Femoris; the head of Fibula (bone) and the lateral of Tibia (bone), Semitendinosus; proximal of Tibia, medial to Tebial Tuberosity, Semimembranosus; Tibia. The hamstring muscle group helps in extending the leg backwards and bending the knees. Hence, this specific group muscle helps in producing dance movements namely ‘plies’, ‘passe’, ‘attitude devant’, and ‘arabesque’. The hamstring strain or tear injury can be a pull, a partial tear or a complete tear of the muscle. The strain or tear is to be found at the peak of elongation velocity when producing movements. This injury occurs when the hamstring muscle group is ‘strain’ beyond its normal length whilst producing a certain eccentric contraction movement. A strain or tear can also happen when the muscles are challenged with a sudden load or work to produce a movement or several movements. â€Å"A common problem in dancers is imbalance or asymmetry that can result in hamstring injury. The imbalance could be muscular or structural.† (livestrong.com). An example of such imbalance is when a dancer is dancing with a tilted pelvis. This can result to an over emphasis on the quadriceps muscles and only stretching the hamstring group muscles. Livestrong.com continue to name a list of reason how the hamstring group muscle can be injured when a dancer overstretches and ‘overuse injur y’. Overstretching seems to be contradictory, as part of being a dancer is to be flexible. Most dancers have a similar mindset. If the leg extension is not long or high enough when performing movements such as a ‘battement’; he or she simply needs to stretch out the tightness. This action can result to severe muscle strain. Consequently, the ‘overuse injury’ can occur simply from working on a specific dance technique or dance movement for too long. Without proper strength in the hamstrings, and rest for the muscles, the hamstrings undergo continuous tension and this can result in tears and fatigue (livestrong.com). There are other factors which increase the likelihood of suffering a hamstring strain or tear injury. Age, flexibility of the hamstring muscle group, as well as tiredness and lack of fitness are namely some of the contributing factors to this injury. The hamstring strains or tear can be graded according to the severity of the injury. Grade 1 consists of minor tears within the muscle. A grade 2 is a partial tear in the muscle and grade 3 is a severe or complete rupture of the muscle (sportsinjuryclinic.net). The symptoms of a grade 1 hamstring strain are; the injured dancer may feel a slight pull or tightness and minimal swelling in the posterior thigh. Consequently, he or she will be aware of slight discomfort when walking. Following on, grade 2 hamstring strains or tears may be associated with occasional sudden twinges of pain when producing a movement. As a result, gait will be affected and limping may be present. Moreover, flexing and applying pressure to the knees may cause pain. Therefore, a dancer with grade 2 hamstring strain or tears might be unable to fully straighten the knees. Finally, walking will be severely impaired in a grade 3 hamstring tear resulting to the need of walking aids. A dancer will feel severe pain particularly when producing a knee flexion. In addition to all that is mention, a grade 2 and 3 hamstring strain or tear may indirectly affect one’s posture. This is a result of impulses transferred by the nervous system from the hamstring muscle group to the Central Nervous System (CNS). The CNS consists of the spinal cord and the brain, transmitting impulses from the spinal cord to the brain. There are 5 pairs of sacral plexus in the spinal cord, containing four sacral nerves, which branch out, supplying sensory to the muscles attached to the pelvis, buttocks, and part of the lower limbs. The sciatic nerve, which branches out from the sacral plexus, is the longest nerve of the body and is responsible for the pain associated with the hamstring group muscle. â€Å"The nerve supply becomes impeded by excess pressure or damage and pain, is experienced in the hips and buttocks down through the knee to the ankle.† (An Holistic Guide to Anatomy and Physiology, 2006, pg.213). It is vitally important that treatment for a pulled hamstring starts immediately. The most important phase for treatment is the first 48 hours post-injury. Treatment of hamstring strains or tears will vary depending on the type of injury, its severity, and the needs and expectations of the patient. However, treatment can be generally divided into two types; Non-Surgical treatment and Surgical Treatment. Most hamstring strains heal very well with simple non-surgical treatments methods such as R.I.C.E, an acronym for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. A dancer who is experiencing a hamstring strain should take rest, and avoid activities that strain the muscle group. In addition, he or she should apply cold packs several times a day on the straining area but not directly onto the skin. Also, the patient should wear an elastic band for compression to avoid more swelling and blood lost. To reduce swelling, he or she should recline, elevating the leg above the heart level. After R.I.C.E, dancers who wish to rehabilitate from a hamstring strain should get physical therapy treatments to restore the range of motion and strength. Surgical treatment is most often performed for tendon avulsion injuries, where the tendon has pulled completely away from the bone. Like treatments, the duration for a full recovery from a hamstring strain and tear injury vary depending on its severity. A grade 1 injury will probably take seven to ten days, a grade 2 injury will take four to six weeks however a grade 3 injury can take up to 4 or more months. â€Å"One of the most important methods of preventing a pulled hamstring is to warm-up correctly. This has been scientifically proven to reduce the risk of hamstring strain.†(sportsinjuryclinic.net). Warm-ups should gradually increase in intensity. Moreover, most dancers often fail to understand the importance of strengthening exercises. Dancers focus too much on stretching the muscle, lengthening but making it week and unable to support the range of motion when dancing. Boyd Bender, a physical therapist for the Pacific Northwest Ballet stated to strengthen the hamstring muscle group, dancers should also strengthen the quadriceps muscle group. This is because these muscle groups work in concert. If trained correctly, the strength ratio should be 60% of quadriceps muscle group and 40% of hamstring muscle group, with each muscle group supporting and complementing each other to prevent injuries. (findarticles.com). On top of dance technique classes, dancers should also add Pilates and Gyrotonic class for dynamics of stretch, strength, and movement for a well-rounded regimen. Dancers should also include stretching bands when practicing technique. With the use of stretching bands like Thera-Band, dancers not only refine their technique but also strengthen their muscle groups. The body is the instrument for a dancer. Every dancer should aim to achieve optimum capacity of his or her body through warm-ups, body conditioning, technique classes, stretching and cool-down. In conclusion, dancers should never work their body recklessly. Like all instruments, it should be refined and well taken care of.