My First Knee Injury Scare as a Professional Belly Dancer!

As a few of you might have read on my Professional Belly dancer Facebook Bellydance By Jennfier Inc. status 4 days ago, I woke up one morning, started walking down the stairs, and ouch! I began to feel a slight sharp pain in my left knee each time I shifted my weight onto the left leg.

As a professional belly dancer, knee pain is my nightmare. The knees are Essential to belly dance and one too many times I have heard the stories of dancers calling it quits early due to knee replacement surgeries and other severe complications.

Naturally, my heart dropped, and terror really began to settle as I realized I was experiencing my first knee injury. Although I knew it was a tiny injury, it still gave me the shocking realization “you are not getting any younger”. This might sound crazy being that I am only 25 years old, but in terms of some dance careers, that is already a definitive age.

A Few Very Good Tips

Any who, so I went to see a knee specialist today and much to my delight my knee is perfectly fine but there were some VERY important tips I wanted to share with you.

1. Even though we are very strong athletes, we must still cross train! Similar to runners, we rely heavily on our quads and hamstrings to move our knees and complete movements. The same muscle groups are used over and over, but cross training allows for a well rounded musculature and reduces the likelihood of “weak areas”.

2. Make sure to do knee exercises to strengthen your precious knees. Sit on a surface that allows your knee to be naturally bent at a 90 degree angle. With ankle weight on, slowly raise your knee until it is parallel to the floor or at a 180 degree angle. You can repeat this backwards, and do reps where you raise your knee 45 degrees.

3. Sometimes an anti-inflammatory is all one needs. We work our knees hard, make sure you let them relax. I am not into taking medication at all, but this is goign to help me because of how much I dance on a regular basis.

4. Be proactive about your health. Do not wait for a serious injury to occur to see a doctor or specialist! Do what I did, and see a doctor right away at any sign of discomfort. Prevention and awareness are key to longevity as a dancer.

Well I hope these tips will help prevent injuries, and let Bellydance By Jennifer Inc. know about your knee scares as professional belly dancers.