Legwarmer Question

[Dolphingirl]

Since the surgery, parts of my knee are often quite tight, and take more time to warm up and stretch out. Usually it's fine and a few small stretches while learning the excersise is enough to make it feel better. But every once in a while, it's too tight and I have to wear a legwarmer over it to get it warm faster and keep it from being painful. Today, after a long rehearsal of a new piece yesterday, was such a day. But, as my teacher pointed out, wearing a legwarmer rolled over several times, no matter how thin it is to start with, becomes quite bulky in the back of your knee and she was worried about how it might affect the ligaments back there, when I bent my knee. Still, the legwarmer I use is too thin when it's not doubled up. Any ideas of what I can do to keep the front and sides of my knee warm without endangering the back of my knee. Short of cutting parts of the legwarmers off?

 

Dolphingirl

[Mel Johnson]

Get allover thicker legwarmers? (so that they don't need to be rolled)

[Victoria Leigh]

Try a piece of saran wrap. That will warm it up quickly.

[Dolphingirl]

Saran wrap! That's a new one:) I think I'll try it next time. Why does it work? Do you need to do anything special with it, like taping it down? Or does it just stick on it's own?

 

Thanks,

Dolphingirl

[Victoria Leigh]

I don't know, never done it. But have heard of others using it. It's supposed to stick to itself I think, but you might need a bit of tape.

[Mel Johnson]

If it's under the tights, it tends to stay put. A little tape couldn't hurt, though.

[Dolphingirl]

Saran worked very well today! I think ideally it would be a little bit of a different shape, but I only had the stuff wrapped around my graham crackers so I'd like to try a different shape , but it really did make my knee warm! That's really cool!

 

Thanks!

 

Dolphingirl

[Mel Johnson]

Now, just don't go overboard with it. Otherwise it looks really strange under the tights, and you go "crinkle-crinkle" when you walk!;)

[Dolphingirl]

I know this sounds kind of odd, but do you think that Saran wrap would work in a swimming pool? I have to take swimming in gym and usually I'm fine, but the combination of cold water and strokes like the breaststroke(non-flutter kicks) generally bother my knee. I was wondering if trying Saran would work, whether it would be safe, or if it would hurt me in any way. We've been swimming relays and my team ALWAYS comes in last, because I have a hurt knee and one of my friends is a hydrophobe. We also have the guy that hates me the most and he doesn't care at all whether or not I *can't* swim any faster, and I'm so sick of hearing him say, "can't you swim faster" or "swim a real stroke this time". He happens to be on the swim team. I haven't gotten a chance to ask him how many pirouettes he can do yet!

 

Dolphingirl

[Victoria Leigh]

Well, I have never tried it, Dolphingirl, however I sort of doubt that it would stay there in the water, and also I don't think it would do any good in terms of the warming process, once it's wet.

[Mel Johnson]

Just thinking out loud here, but if you're using a scissors-kick, then you may be putting pressure laterally on the knee. Try it with a crawl flutter-kick and see what happens. Also, just for practice, try the saran wrap, holding it in place with waterproof tape. Once it gets wet, there's a chance that it might act like a wet-suit, and hold warmed water next to the skin. The downside is that it might add drag. Just give it a shot and let us know how it works. Chances are against it making things worse.