For young dancers, maintaining a healthy and injury-free body while improving their technique is essential. Physiotherapy, combined with Pilates, can play a significant role in helping young dancers achieve this balance.
Indie Stickland, a dance physiotherapist with a background in classical ballet, understands the unique demands placed on a dancer’s body. Having started dancing at the age of 5 and transitioned to full-time classical ballet training at 15, Indie knows firsthand that dancing at a high level requires not just technical skill, but also a strong, balanced, and injury-free body. With over six years of experience working with dancers in New Zealand, Indie uses physiotherapy and Pilates to help young dancers excel and prevent injury.
Improving technique
Good technique is the cornerstone of great dancing, and physiotherapy can have a significant impact on a dancer’s technique. In dance, small adjustments in posture and movement can make a huge difference in performance. Physiotherapists work with dancers to identify areas of weakness or imbalance that may be affecting their technique. Whether it’s alignment, balance, or coordination, physiotherapists use a combination of hands-on treatment and specific exercises to correct these issues.
Physio-guided Pilates offers a fresh approach to technique correction.
Preventing injury
Young dancers often push their bodies to their limits while perfecting their technique. However, this intense training can sometimes lead to strain on muscles, joints, and tendons. Physiotherapy helps by strengthening areas that are prone to injury and improving movement patterns to prevent unnecessary stress on the body.
Physio-guided Pilates complements this by focusing on core stability, flexibility, and controlled movement. These exercises target deep stabilizing muscles, improving overall body awareness and reducing the risk of overuse injuries that are common in young dancers.
It’s about building strength from the inside out and focusing on controlled, precise movements that help dancers execute their steps with more ease. Pilates helps dancers lengthen and strengthen muscles while maintaining good posture and alignment.
This approach not only helps with performance but also improves how dancers move in everyday life.
Please contact us for more information or to book in with our experienced Physiotherapists.
Written by India Stickland, Dance Senior Physiotherapist
