Knees Injury

Injury, especially for the amateur dancer, or even to the professional, is by no means inevitable. As the dancer, we need to be aware of certain areas of vulnerability, or “hot spots”. Knees are hot spots for almost athletes or dancer. The turnout required in ballet poses an extra challenge for this complex confluence of ligaments, tendons, cartilage, bones and muscles. Professional dancer can suffer from numerous knee conditions, ranging from minor muscle strain to serious ligament and tendon injuries. Amateurs also endure knee injuries, but with common sense and prevention, the body and the knees can dance as boldly as we like.

The quadriceps and hamstring muscles control knee function, and along with ligaments give support and stability to the joint. Alignment of the pelvis and strength in the pelvic girdle muscles also directly affect knee function. That is one reason why pulling up through your entire leg is so important in ballet. Patellar tracking problems and patellar tendinitis (“jumper’s knee”), common ailments for the dancer, typically result from a combination of muscle imbalance, weak inner quadriceps, alignment faults, and overuse.

It is tempting to try to compensate for lack of turnout at the hip by over rotating at the knee and ankle. When turnout is forced, however, the lower leg bones (tibia and fibula) are torque outward against the upper leg bone (the femur). The knee joint is in between bears the brunt of this unnatural and dangerous twisting. Soft tissues like ligaments, capsule, and cartilage can be injured especially if the effort occurs while the knees is flexing or locking out into a straightened position. jumping in misaligned position can also cause trauma to the knee.