Ballet Exercises - improve flexibility after injury

by Jenny
(Mexico)

Ballet Exercises - improve flexibility after injury -

Hi, my name is Jenny and obviously im a ballet dancer, but im having a lot of issues right know because i had an injury like a year ago it was an adductor tear in my left leg, so the doctor told me to stop doing flexibility for two months and all of that so i went to therapies and it all started to go on the right direction but whenever i wanted to strech a little bit the pain returned and suddenly i was injured again.
So it´s been a year and i need to start doing strech again, but i really don´t know what kind of exercises i can do, so i was hoping you could help. To be honest i am not elastic at all its always been my weakness and with my injury the thing here is worst, so i dont know how to get started, so if you could help me i would appreciate it a lot you have no idea how desperate am I.

Thank You.!

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Reply by Odette
To:- Ballet Exercises - improve flexibility after injury

Hello Jenny,
Thank you for contacting me it is great to hear from you. I can partly relate to what you are going through and of course understand how you need some direction as well as advice.

I strained my left hamstring a few years ago and went through the process of injury, trying to recover and regaining the strength as well as flexibility. My hamstrings have never been incredibly flexible either, so I learnt a lot through the process of how to manage this injury.

For you, I would say you need to give yourself time. Remember how long were not stretching for or not dancing, you need to allow your body this realistic amount of time to regain the flexibility again.

The best way to get started, is to start! Sounds silly, but if you start getting into the routine of stretching gently but gradually, over time your muscles will get more pliable.

Flexibility is quite a cautious matter, because I know that if you stretch too much it can tear and agitate the muscles. Especially if you had a previous injury, like my hamstring for example, I have to be careful not to over stretch it or it can easily feel slightly painful again.

So, start a little program of stretching each day. Preferably, see your teacher or physio so they can show you the stretches correctly. Aim to target your main muscles for dance, for example, I like to keep my hamstring, glutes, quads and hip flexors stretched for ballet.

Don't get too overwhelmed, but keep a realistic time goal and be aware of how your body feels so you don't over stretch.

Best wishes,
Odette