DLShannon_therapy_MAINPhysical therapy is an important part of a dancer’s career. There are many different kinds of physical therapy and it’s important to know which one works most effectively for you. Here is a brief description of different kinds of physical therapies that I think work well for dancers.

Massage Therapy

Massages focus on the entire body. It’s great to relax the body and prevent injuries or relieve sore muscles. There are many different types of massage therapies, I think deep tissue massages or sports therapy massages work best for dancers.

Physical Therapy

A type of massage that focuses on a specific body part like your foot or your neck. P.T. is a great tool to help recover from injuries or previous injuries. 

Chiropractor

It is beneficial if you feel like your body is out of alignment or needs to be realigned. It’s especially helpful if you have scoliosis or if you need something to be unjammed (for instance jamming your foot after landing from a large jump.)

Rehabilitation

If you get injured, rehabilitation therapy promotes mobility, function, and quality of life through examination, diagnosis, prognosis, and physical intervention using mechanical force, movements and exercises. Your therapist will give you specific exercises and will train you closely to make sure you are doing everything correctly.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture helps your body’s energy (meridians) to flow the correct way. It can boost your energy and make you feel incredibly healthy and vibrant. It also helps in releasing muscles and helps heal injuries quickly.

It’s important to know that there are so many different therapies out there that can help dancers through each stage of their career from strengthening to maintenance or recovery. Physical therapy has the ability to make a huge impact on a dancers’ health. I encourage you to try different therapies so that you know what works best for your body. Nobody works or recovers exactly the same way and it’s important to know what works best for your body so that you can use the different kinds of therapy as a tool to elongate your career.