Should Dancers lift??

I also came across this interesting article online from Dance informa magazine. It is an american dance magazine and this particular article talks about the stigma of weight training- why many dancers believe that this means the 'bulking up' of their muscles. It also explains how various weight training exercises can improve muscle strength and endurance. This is ultimately what dancers strive for, and their muscles need to develop all the reserves possible for the demanding tasks they put their bodies through. I personally believe that my body is in better shape in tone and strength now compared to what my body was like at Ballet school. My body back then was slim but not strong, and now through weight training, pilates and high intensity plyometric exercises (where your muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power) it can endure more high impact activity without injury.

The aesthetic view of a classical ballet dancer is one which is lean, elegant and strong. However through my experience at ballet school there were so many young girls who were obsessed with the 'thin' look and their daily intake of food was dangerously low to obtain this. It also was not sufficient energy to fuel the body through it's vigorous daily routine. Inevitably their bodies did not have the reserves in their muscles to cope and they would frequently be injured.

I think this article is a real eye opener and this kind of education on  how to increase body strength and endurance without 'bulking up ' would be very beneficial to dancers.

Here's the link to the article here: http://www.danceinforma.com/2015/06/04/should-dancers-do-weight-training/

Have a read and tell me what you think!

Katrina x 

Considering Dancers as Performing Athletes...

I have been searching for various sources in relation to my new inquiry direction, and I have come across a few more in addition to my module 2 inquiry plan.

The fitness and health industry is booming at the moment and social media is getting people hyped about the latest workouts and eating regimes to get fast and obtainable results.
My twin sister is a qualified fitness instructor and I have been fortunate enough to learn from her extensive knowledge in the industry the correct techniques and exercises to use whilst training; ones that are more beneficial to the overall endurance of my muscles and ones that will also change the definition of them.

My professional practice is one which focuses on the physiology of movement after an injury, ensuring that the patient fully understands the importance of strengthening particular muscle groups around their injury to facilitate their recovery and functional abilities.
For example, after a knee replacement the quadriceps are crucial to strengthen as this particular muscle group supports the knee and is part of the driving force ( along with the hamstrings and glutes) to create flexion and extension of the leg.

Physiology
noun 
1. The branch of biology dealing with the functions and activities of living organisms and their parts, including all physical and chemical processes. 
2. The organic processes or functions in an organism or in any of its parts. 

Part of my job role is to support patients in supervised circuits in the gym. This is suitable for patients who need verbal prompts during the circuit, help on and off equipment and most importantly encouragement from myself to assist their progress after injury.

The majority of my time at work is spent in the gym at Southampton General Hospital, and I am beginning to understand the importance of many exercises used within physiotherapy appointments and circuits. Mostly these exercises are there to enable patients to walk up and down the stairs again, or to increase their range of movement so that they are able to drive and return to their usual activities.

So could weight training be beneficial to professional dancers too??

 I came across an article online whilst browsing for further literature, it's called  "The Dancer as a performing athlete: Physiological Considerations" ( Koutedakis, Y, Jamurtas A, Sports med. 2004; 34(10): 651-61).

The article states that the traditional aesthetic 'view' of a classical dancer's body diminishes the idea that other training methods not linked with dance can assist dancer's physiology and fitness to keep up with the new physical demands of dance.
However, recent developments have shown that additional training methods can lead to improvements on the overall fitness of the dancer and reduce incidents of injuries, without " interfering with the key artistic and aesthetic requirements". The article explains that because of the aesthetic requirements of a classical dancer, body weight targets are normally met by low energy intakes, with

" Female dancers students and professional ballerinas reported to consume below 70% and 80% of the recommended daily allowance of energy intake."

The extract concludes that an awareness of these factors will

" assist dancers and their teachers to improve training techniques, to employ effective injury prevention strategies and to determine better physical conditioning."

 So does this mean that the dancers of today are reciprocating the advice from other professionals to assist with their overall fitness and therefore increasing the longevity of their career??
Maybe so, and this is what I want to find out during my research project. It will be interesting to explore the different techniques professional dancers use to improve their endurance, recovery time and conditioning of their bodies to prevent injuries. I will gain knowledge on this by interviewing  professionals, and I am currently in the preparation stage of constructing my interview questions.

My next plan of action is to examine literature and begin my literature review as part of the tasks given in module 3. I intend to buy/borrow the book: "The fit and healthy dancer"(Koutedakis, Sharp and Boredom, 1999). This book intrigued me when I came across the synopsis on books.google.co.uk:

" Regardless of the grace of their movement, dancers experience injuries more often than the lugs bucking heads on the rugby field or in the boxing ring. On average, dancers are only marginally fitter than the average person on the street, smoke far too much, and do not eat properly, yet still stretch their bodies to extreme levels in the name of performance, and not surprisingly suffer a litany of injuries. This book examines the impact of a variety of dance forms, puts forth a program for improving training, building stamina, and reducing the risk of injury."

 I think this will be a very interesting read!

Katrina x




References

"Physiology" definition: www.dictionary.com

Koutedakis Y, Jamurtas, A. Sports med. 2004; 34(10): 651-61. The dancer as a performing athlete: Physiological considerations. 

Koutedakis, Y., Sharp, N. and Boreham, C. (1999). The fit and healthy dancer. Chichester: John Wiley.

www.books.google.co.uk

New ideas emerging......

JOURNAL ENTRIES:

After shadowing B7 Physiotherapist Niamh at work, I picked up on something that she mentioned after a gym session with a patient.  The man had a sprained his ankle and plays 5-a-side football every week with his friends. He would love to go back to playing football as soon as possible. 

Niamh said it can sometimes be tricky for Physiotherapists within the NHS to have more time with a patient ( they only have 30 minute appointments). She explained that in this particular case it is harder to rehabilitate him for the 5-a-side football as the once a week Physio session only allows her to demonstrate at least 15 minutes of exercises to strengthen his ankle. Therefore the limited time means that if he is not disciplined with his home exercises to strengthen his ankle, if he goes back to playing football too soon the injury will inevitably reoccur and could potentially be worse. 

The general public are not motivated  in Niamh's opinion, compared to professionals ( e.g., Athletes/dancers/performers) where the physicality of their work is their livelihood. The general public need a lot of encouragement from the Physiotherapists and therapy assistants to continue their exercises at home. 

There seems to be no 'middle ground' for the general public. There are no drills or shuttle runs within a physiotherapy session- the physiotherapist can tell them what to do after their injury, but it is then in their hands in how much work they are willing to put in. 
Footballers will have intense circuit training on the field before a match, and dancers will take class before rehearsals or a show. This 'preparation' conditions the professionals so they can endure higher impact activity. If a dancer turns up to rehearsals without taking ballet class in the morning, the dancer is at a higher risk of injuring oneself, almost inevitably. 

So it seems that the general public who sustain an injury will more likely become injured again if they do not actively participate in their 'middle ground' training. 


I then began thinking about my own experience of being injured- I was injured during my first year at Ballet School, and I personally believe that the psychological effect of my injury had more of an impact on me than the injury itself. I felt that I was totally lost and there was a significant lack of support from the school towards me. I would of really benefitted from therapy during my injury; talking to someone would of allowed me to express any worries and stresses that I would of had, and actually come to terms with my injury. 

This led me to thinking along the lines of the psychological impact an injury has on a professional.... and it was the main theme that I mentioned in my inquiry plan. It is understood that an injury affects professionals more deeply because it is their livelihood, however I began to realise that portraying this side of an injury would be going off on a tangent and it is not directly related to my professional practice. 

So after more feedback from Paula it was clear to me that I needed to make a definitive separation from the psychological impact of an injury, as this is not what my professional practice is based upon. For my interviews with professionals it would be better to formulate questions that are more open so I am not leading the discussion- This is something that I need to work on! Paula said that the idea of the inquiry is that it is an exploration- you cannot try and shape the way your inquiry will turn out deliberately to get the intended results. I need to learn to be more open and allow my research project to run its course. 
Also, as I am not including the emotional responses to injury in my project, the Kubler Ross theory on the 5 stages of grief will not appear as part of my artefact idea. This now paves the way for a completely new plan for my professional artefact........

I intend to base my research project around the Physiological processes a professional goes through during their training. I aim to examine techniques professionals use to condition their bodies, ultimately avoiding injury. I sustained my injury at Ballet School from the effects of a weak technique and a lack of understanding on strength and endurance training to avoid injuries during training and your career. I wish to explore this area, so I can display an insightful project that will hopefully be benificial to myself and other professionals. 

MODULE 3!!!

Hi Everyone!!! Hope you've all had a chilled and relaxing summer, can't believe we're now onto our third module already. I've been busy the last few months jotting down lots of ideas in my journal, and my plan for my inquiry has slightly changed during this process....! 

I'm going to start off with what I thought of my module 2 feedback and where my ideas took me from there...

I am not entirely sure of what my working title is going to be for my inquiry but I want it to go along the lines of…. 

“Exploring how therapy practitioners approach injury management for professional Dancers and Athletes.”

The feedback from my module 2 work was extremely helpful and it has outlined a few factors I need to consider when beginning my inquiry. The plan I constructed in module 2 seems to be a bit vague on what I actually want to find out from my professional inquiry. I seem to be torn between focusing on the psychological impact within the rehabilitation process and the medical stages that are required to successfully rehabilitate a professional dancer or athlete. 

I think I need to realise that my inquiry is predominantly based in my professional practice, so I really need to utilise the sources I have at my fingertips, for example talking to my peers in the next few weeks about my intentions for my inquiry, to gradually begin to form a plan for my interviews. 

As I will be interviewing professionals in the workplace, it is an ideal opportunity to find out if physiotherapists have a different approach when working with performers and athletes. 

Questions I could ask my peers could be:

“ Is your approach to your professional practice different when working with performers and athletes?”

“ If you have previously worked with performers and athletes, what is the most common injury?”

“ Describe the process you go through when you meet a new patient”

“ How involved are you in the patient’s rehabilitation process?”

“ Do you feel that the patient requires more psychological support from you throughout the rehabilitation process?”

“ Do you feel that there is a sufficient amount of support for the patient after they complete their physiotherapy programme with you?”

Questions I could ask professional practitioners could be:

“ How did you sustain your injury?”

“ How did your injury impact your career?”

“ What help was available for you when you were injured?”

“ What was your rehabilitation process like?”

“ Did you ever worry financially?”

“ Do you think that performers/ Athletes ignore small injuries incase it interrupts their career?”

I have realised just from drafting a few questions that I have to be vigilant in the wording in each question for ethical reasons. I do not wish to offend anyone or to appear biased in any way. Keeping my interviews neutral will allow the participants to truly express their opinions and will inevitably give me unbiased data. 

As my intentions have altered slightly for my inquiry, the next step I need to take is to research literature surrounding my topic of the different therapy approaches to professional performers and athletes. I need to focus on this particular theme and expand on this as much as I can without going off on a tangent- I do not want my inquiry to be vague. 

I have read through the Module 3 handbook and have made a few notes in what I need to do to make my inquiry as successful as possible. I need to look into ‘Action Lists’ and ‘Gant charts’ to help with my organisation before I officially begin the 12 weeks of the study period as I do not want to fall behind in Module 3. Utilising my learning journal throughout the inquiry process and communicating through my blogs will also be extremely useful for me in module 3. 

The one area which seems a bit grey for me after reading through the handbook is the ‘Professional Artefact’ I will have to submit with my critical review on the 6th January. I am quite artistic and creative so it could potentially be a really interesting project for me to undertake, however I am not brilliant with technology so this is worrying me slightly. 

I have drafted a brainstorm of ideas for my professional artefact and the two ideas that came up were:

1. Audio visual- either a powerpoint, images or a short film of how a physiotherapist would rehabilitate a professional performer or athlete for a certain type of injury and why. 
2. The Kugler-Ross 5 stages of grief theory in relation to a professional experiencing a detrimental injury in their career ‘ 5 stage cycle of a professional injury.’  This could either be portrayed in a powerpoint presentation or choreography to show the cycle??

These were only my initial thoughts after reading the handbook and reader 7, after trying to gain some insight into what I will actually be doing throughout module 3! It was all a bit overwhelming when I first read through it and I naturally started to feel anxious about the workload ahead of me, (in just over 12 weeks) ... so I found it beneficial and comforting to draw some visuals,  so I could physically 'see' what the plan is in the module 3 journey: 

Has anyone else done this and found it useful?!

xxx