Getting pointe shoes fitted correctly is important to decrease the risk of injury but can also be very overwhelming. Here are some of the things to think about at your next pointe shoe fitting:
Smoking used to be the worst thing you could do for your health. Now, it seems that sitting or being sedentary is.
Continue readingOur body is constantly giving us information about the things that are happening within it. Often our brain as interprets that information as pain. Musculoskeletal pain can be sharp, aching, dull, stabbing, pinching, unrelenting… so how do you know when to seek professional help and when is it something that may just need time to settle?
Continue readingTying your ribbons and making sure they don’t come undone in the middle of class takes practice. Here is a quick little “how to” video to get you started. There is also a neat little trick for undoing the ribbons – perfect for those quick changes!
Continue readingSewing your own ribbons is not only an important skill but also becomes part of the ritual of preparing your shoes for class or performance. Every dancer has their own way of sewing their ribbons and elastics to ensure their shoe conforms to and supports their foot. This is a process of trial and error and lots of practice! So to start you off, I have created a little “how to” video to teach the basics.
Well it looks like Winter is well and truely on the way! Our bodies always feel different during the winter. Theses cooler mornings bring on feelings of stiffness, muscle tightness, aching through arthritic joints and old fractures and pain around joint replacements. It can also be more difficult to get motivated to keep moving during winter when the days are shorter and colder. However it is just as important as ever to keep active and not allow those aches and pains to get the better of you.
Continue readingGrinding, clicking, grating, crackling, crunching… These should be the sounds you hear in a workshop not in your knees. Osteoarthritis, or OA, is the most common cause of physical disability in older adults. Although OA cannot be cured, it does not have to be painful!
Continue readingGetting pointe shoes fitted correctly is important to decrease the risk of injury but can also be very overwhelming. Here are some of the things to think about at your next pointe shoe fitting:
Movement is necessary in life. Our bodies move in amazing and wonderful ways, we have capabilities that we are generally unaware of and can push ourselves to achieve (within reason) anything we want to do. But why are so many people scared of getting their bodies moving – especially after long periods of inactivity or injury?
If you have ever had low back pain, you are not alone. Up to 80% of Australians will experience back pain at some point in their lives. Most people experiencing acute back pain are of working age, and an equal number of women and men are affected. Pain can begin abruptly as a result of an accident or by lifting something heavy, or it can develop over time due to postural muscle imbalances or normal age related changes in the spine. The pain is usually related to the way the bones, discs, tendons, muscles and ligaments work together.