Weights?

[SeaMonkey]

I've posted before asking how to correct hyperextension. Mine seems to be getting worse as I get older.

 

I went to the dr recently because I was having a lot of knee pain (choreographing a floor section for a modern piece).

 

I asked him if there was any way to correct my hyperextension. His response was that since I'm a dancer, it was good that I was hyperextended. Um, not really!

 

I mentioned to him that I can't stretch my triceps after push ups because I shoulders will just slip out of socket. It doesn't hurt, but I don't want bulky arms. He suggested weight training and told me not to do push ups anymore.

 

Is weight training going to mess up anything? I don't want bulky arms and I've got the body type that builds muscle easily and if I can't stretch it after I lift, I'm going to get bulk.

 

I've been trying to do a few arm excersizes with my therabands, but I'm not sure which one's to do to work my rotator cuff

[Victoria Leigh]

SeaMonkey, getting control of your hyperextension needs to be done through the training, in terms of ballet. It's a matter of placement and correct muscle usage. I'm not sure that the use of weights is what you would want to do, especially if you have the muscular body type. As for the shoulder area, I'm afraid I don't really know much about that, but there will be some others here who might be able to help. Working with very light weights, in terms of finding specific muscles, might be helpful for this area, but I would think that you should have training with even the lightest of weights. If the doc suggested weights, did he give you a PT prescription so that you could be taught exactly how to use them?

[Guest abcfordance]

Before you can strengthen a joint you need to be able to stabilize it. From what you are posting it sounds like you are systemically hypermobile in your ligaments. To find out if this is the case I would ask your doctor for a script for a physical therapy evaluation. They can do some joint and muscle testing and find out if this is the case.

 

There are several levels to stabilizing/strengthening a joint. The first is to stabilize the local stabilizers for that joint. The next step is to stabilize the global or larger stabilizing muscles for the range of movement you are dealing with at the time and then you can strengthen and work on the global mobilizers which execute that motion. Skipping any one of those steps causes muscles to do work they are not meant to do and compensation patterns and injuries can follow.

 

Part of what is effective in training is to incoporate neuromuscular work with your dance and other training. Pilates and Feldenkrais are two excellent ways of incorporating neuromuscular training. Before doing anything however, go and get an evaulation done so you know what structural issues you are dealing with.

[SeaMonkey]

Ms. Leigh,

He didn't give me any sort of PT recommendation. This is at the health center at my university. One of the other dancers from our dance ensemble went recently and we're all starting to realize they aren't much help for dancers.

 

All he really told me was that I should do excercizes that work my rotator cuff for my shoulders. There's an excellent Pilates instructor here who used to be a dancer, so I'm going to look into making an appointment with her. I'm going to look into the Feldenkrais as well. I'm not really sure what that is, I wonder if there are videos or books on it?

 

Thanks for the advice! I seem to have gotten my back hyperextension under control, now I'd like to get this shoulder thing under control (then maybe my arms and fingers won't bend back the wrong way?)

[Swiss_Chard]

If you can afford it, you might want to go to a real doctor. University health centers leave a lot to be desired in my experience.

[Guest abcfordance]

Working on scaplur or shoulder stabilization will not neccessarily correct stabilization in any other joint. You must address each part of the body individually and work on them specifically. The biggies for most people are scapular stabilization / lumbo-pelvic stabilization / ribcage (thoracic) stabilization / cranial - vetebral stabilization / and for dancers hips, knees and ankles as well.

 

I would not suggest trying to teach yourself pilates or feldenkreis from a book or a video since you already know your body has issues that need work. You need to work (preferably one on one) with a trained practitioner with a good eye who has the patience to keep bringing you back to square one until your body can correctly get to square two. You don't want to allow your body to compensate in a new way to get out of an old pattern.