Hip-Hop Dance Injuries In hip-hop, or even any dancing, there is always an injury that is waiting to happen. Dancers are prone to many different types of injuries, most of them involving muscles, bones, or connective tissues. Even though those injuries can be caused by accidents of different situations, common injuries are found to be the caused of improper movements. So when getting ready for dancing, you must take it seriously like it is sport. When stretching, you must stretch your entire body from head down. Especially when the winter or the coldness weather starts picking up, it is really important to stretch because you body is so tighten up. So some areas that you may want to stretch, especially for hip hop since you are using your entire body, is the legs, thighs, calves, ankles, feet, arms, shoulders, neck and wrists. Remember to at least hold the stretch for at least 30 seconds. So stretching every part of the body will guarantee a lesser chance of a dance injury. If you do get injured while dancing remember the acronym “R.I.C.E.” Rice stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. So when an injury happens, stop the activity which caused the pain, apply ice for 15 to 30 minutes, apply compression in the form of a bandage, and elevate the injury above the heart. If in really bad situation, keep on doing this method for a week or so, until you know you can go back to dancing. There are different methods aiding an injured dancer. You can do the alternating of heat and ice or just do the heat method. The heat method is kind of similar to the “R.I.C.E” method, but instead of icing it you are going to heat it. When heating it, use an electric heating pad and apply for no more than 30 minutes. There should be a cloth layer between the heating pad and the skin, and the first few times the heating pad is used, check the skin every 5 minutes to make sure there is no burning. The setting on the heating device should be at the minimum level where you still feel heat. By following these simple instructions, you will be set for avoiding dance injuries.
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