Whoa! 1 1/2" growth over summer

[pointe2perfection]

My dd returned from her SI having grown 1 1/5". She is highly flexible, but has noticed that she is having trouble keeping her heels down while doing a demi plie. Realizing this is probably normal, should she be doing extra stretches at home? or will she adjust with the normal stretching and dancing in class. If home exercises are recommended, what might one suggest? Thanks for any input.

[Mel Johnson]

Classwork alone, and time, should be sufficient to regain a good demi-plié. And the occasional reminder from the teacher.

[thedriver]

Pointe2perfection thank you for the explanation – my DD this past spring had Achilles’ tendonitis and we couldn’t figure out the cause. Now I think it was due to a rapid growth spurt and an increase in rehearsal classes (intense dancing followed by long waits while others danced). I took her to a podiatrist, who recommended Thera-band and ice.

[sgmca]

Dd also grew what looks to be at least 2 inches this summer (all in her legs!). Her achilles are quite tight and she is also having trouble with her plie. Her teacher at DanceLab said to stretch her achilles but ONLY at the end of class when she is good and WARM.

I dropped off this little girl in Boston in June, and came back to a young lady. What an emotional summer for this mom.

[BW]

You all are not alone - I recall a two inch height increase over the my daughter's first SI at age 12 1/2.

 

All I can say is that it imperative that they learn how to stretch their calves properly and to keep it up for a long, long time (as in years!). When bones grow that fast all those tendons and muscles can't catch up as quickly.

 

I'm sure there are other references to this in the tendonitis "files" on the board. My own dancer had achilles tendonitis and was told to stretch before and after, as well as at home at night...she also used an incline board to do some of this. She was seen by a physical therapist in NYC at West Side Dance Physical Therapy who specializes in treating dancers. Maybe there's some information on this over in the Nutrition forum?

[eskimopieo]

My dd also just grew just over an inch in the last few weeks. However, her achilles seems to be just dandy...it's the front of her ankle that seems to have tightened. She is having a hard time getting over on her right foot and her teacher has recommended lots of point-flex while she is sitting or doing homework (yes, school has already started here!). Is there anything else she should be doing? She had the same problem after the last growth spurt, but then we thought it was caused by too-short shoes...her right foot is the "big" one and starts growing before the other foot (sometimes making her feet 1/2 size different). Her shoes fit just fine right now so that isn't the problem.