6551 S. Revere Parkway, Suite 215, Centennial, CO | (303) 960-2075

Tag Archive for: stretching

Warm Up like the Australian Ballet!

Trying to get your splits closer to the floor or your battements higher? Are you told to sit in front of the TV and stretch for long periods of time? It turns out that this may not be the best way to improve flexibility and performance while also preventing injury. The Australian Ballet agrees, and here’s why.

Static stretching may not always help and can cause harm.

static stretching

Dancers in the Australian Ballet were experiencing a lot of calf tears. Their physical therapists (PTs) wondered why this was the case. After changing their warm-up routine, the PTs found the culprit of these injuries to be static calf stretching.

What is static stretching? It’s when you hold a single position over a period of time, like this dancer sitting in her middle splits. For many years, it was thought that this was the best way to improve flexibility. But now that is changing. Besides, how often would you stay in a middle split while performing, auditioning, or competing?

The Australian Ballet used to do static calf stretching on a slanted board during warm-up for rehearsal or performances. Now, they’ve given their dancers a more dynamic form of calf stretching during warm-up. Because of this change, there was a significant decrease in calf tears within their company!

 

Strengthening muscle groups in a functional way is the key to success for dancers.

functional strength

Dancers need a lot of strength when performing. This especially applies to something called “eccentric movements”. During an eccentric movement, the muscle is engaged but lengthening at the same time. For example, when a dancer performs a grand jeté, they use eccentric control of their calf when they land. Or when a dancer comes down from a relevé en pointe, they need good eccentric control to do it.

One way that the Australian Ballet works on this is by having thier dancers perform 24 one-leg heel raises at the end of each barre session, every day. As a result, they have seen a big decrease in ankle and calf injuries. These dancers may do thousands of single leg heel raises throughout a rehearsal or stage performance. By doing this set of heel raises at the end of barre, dancers’ muscles are primed for correctly using this motion throughout their rehearsal or performance. This ultimately decreases dancers’ risk for future injury.

Dancers must have the strength to perform powerful movements.

powerful movements

Besides switching from static stretches to more dynamic movement, the Australian Ballet also added a focus on strengthening deep core stabilizers and key power muscle groups. This has helped the dancers get their battements higher with more ease and prevent future injuries.

The deep core stabilizers protect the spine and provide stability of the torso. By activating these muscles, dancers won’t overcompensate with other muscle groups. Dancers can better protect their joints, muscles, and ligaments through using these deep muscles. Strengthening of the key muscle groups also gives dancers the power they need to do their amazing battements, turn sequences, and grand jetés.

Static stretching of these muscles for long periods of time can actually lead to them becoming inactive and less effective! We wouldn’t want dancers jumping into a rehearsal or performance with inactive muscles, since it could lead to significant injuries. So before dancing, dancers in the Australian Ballet activate their deep core and key power muscles. We call this “muscle priming”. Muscle priming wakes up key muscles that dancers need to give a beautiful performance while keeping them injury-free.

 

Our Recommendation

middle split stretch

The dancers from companies like the Australian Ballet have seen the benefits of changing their warm-up routines, getting rid of static stretching and adding in muscle priming activities. And we agree with this concept! Dancers should do muscle activation exercises instead of static stretching or foam rolling before class, rehearsal, and a performance.

So next time you think about sitting in front of the TV in your middle splits, think again! Remember the importance of dynamic stretching, functional strengthening, and strengthening of certain muscle groups to ultimately improve your performance and keep you safe!

For more information on stretching, check out this link to our previous blog post. And if you’re looking for help to make these positive changes for yourself or your dance students, contact us. We love working with our dance community to keep everyone happy and healthy!

 

Also check our our Dancer’s Kit!

 

Click this link to check out the full article on why the Australian Ballet stopped stretching.

 

Guest blog by Marissa Holliday, student physical therapist.

The New Stretch Session Fad

You’ve been seeing a rise in the new stretch session fad. New businesses are popping up across the country and existing businesses are adding it as a new service.

In doing research about these sessions, I found that companies offer appointments that range from 15 minutes all the way up to 90 minutes. They often run for the same price as a typical massage and sometimes more. One company offers a 50-minute self-stretch session for $185. These sessions have you working with a “stretch professional” who guides you through stretches that you can do on your own. A 90-minute session can run $375 to have someone stretch you!

The websites all state that they use a proprietary method, so it’s hard to say exactly what you’re getting. One thing I did consistently find, however, was that they have a list of stretches that the stretch professional takes each client through. The order of the stretches may be customized, but they frequently do the same stretches for everyone.

Now, of course, this is not to say that stretching sessions are uncalled for or can’t be done well. There are several things to consider when deciding if it might be the right choice for you. Keep reading to find out more!

More About Stretching

Now I have no problem with the concept of stretching. It’s an option that has its place and time. Some patients may receive a stretch as a part of their home exercise program. Others may have an assisted stretch that is used during a treatment session. This treatment option is only recommended or used after doing a thorough examination, and it certainly is not the only type of treatment provided.

Stretching comes in many types – active/dynamic stretching versus passive stretching, self-stretching versus assisted stretching. You don’t hold the position for very long for an active stretch. It’s more like moving in and out of the position with good control. A passive stretch is different – you hold a position for a period of time. Self-stretching is exactly what it sounds like. You’re in charge of your position, how long you hold, and how deep of a stretch you get. Assisted stretching (done by a trained professional) will have someone else making sure that it’s done in the ideal position for the given muscle. They may include other techniques to increase the benefit of the stretch. 

What the Research Says

There is some conflicting information when you look through the research about stretching. The topics include things like: is it helpful or harmful, how to do it properly, how to dose it, etc.

Some research suggests that for a short period after stretching, you actually show a decrease in maximum power, strength, and strength endurance. Other research finds that regular stretching (10-15 minutes, 3-4 days per week) facilitates an overall increase in power, strength, and endurance. It also suggests that it increases flexibility and mobility. An overall theme is that stretching does not significantly help to prevent injuries in the first place. And if you do stretch in conjunction with doing an activity or sport, research leans towards doing it afterwards. It’s also suggested that active/dynamic stretching is more helpful than a passive stretch.

Dosing a stretch is also all over the board. Just for passive stretching alone, I’ve noticed a change over time. When I first learned about it, the most popular suggestion was that you had to hold for at least 30 seconds up to 60 seconds, 3-5 repetitions. It has changed in the last couple of years, now recommending a stretch for 1-2 minutes in total, broken down into manageable chunks.

The most important thing is that you stretch within an effective zone. You won’t be placing enough influence on the tissue to actually create a change if you don’t go far enough. You place too much stress on the tissue and can cause harm if you push too hard. Even when you work with a trained professional on an assisted stretch, it’s important that you have open communication to make sure that you’re getting the right intensity.

Stability and Mobility

Our bodies are a balance between mobility and stability. Mobility, or flexibility, allows us to move more – like a shoulder being able to move in more directions than a knee. Stability, on the other hand, must exist to allow us to have mobility elsewhere.

Imagine a marionette doll – if we were built like them, with all of their flexibility, it would be very difficult to get through most of our day. We’d also have to use a lot more muscle power and effort to move, or to even just sit up or stand up. If we were built like a mannequin, on the other hand, we also would have difficulty getting much accomplished. We would be incredibly stable, but moving would be incredibly difficult.

Our bodies are meant to be a good blend of mobility and stability. Stretching works on the mobility piece, but not the stability side of things. We need to work on both sides of the coin to keep our bodies happy. Getting stretched at a stretch session or going through a stretching program may help things get looser, but if you’re not also working on strengthening other muscles to balance with your new mobility, you’re likely to have other problems.

In fact, in some cases, people may say that they feel “tight” or “stiff” and feel like they need to stretch, but what they actually need it to strength that muscle. I know it seems counter-intuitive, but our bodies aren’t great at telling the difference between the two.

The Take-Home Messages

Stretching can serve a purpose when applied to the right individual under the right circumstances. There is no magic set of stretches that each and every person needs. Stretching is not necessarily the answer, even when you feel “tight” or “stiff”. Stretching can even be counterproductive if you what you need is more stability and support.

If you think that you need a stretching program, make sure that you’re working with a trained professional who can do a thorough assessment to see what the right answer is for you. Make sure that they can explain why you need that specific treatment and that they can discuss various options for you.