Avoiding Injury From Belly Dance
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- Hurley
- Tahlia
- ghaziya
- ghaziya
- marie22
- Tahlia
- Hurley
- Cybele123
- ghaziya
This archived discussion is "read only".
» Hurley - Comments . . .
Thanks Shira! Great article!I just have one comment/question. Re: the pelvic angle correction that you suggested . . .
Do you mean that the pubic bone and the two pointy parts of the pelvis (anterior superior iliac spine, right?) should form a triangle that is perfectly vertical? When I tried that it actually increased the curvature in my lower spine, and I already have a fair amount there to begin with (Hadia was continually telling me to straighten it out at her workshop last fall).
I'm going to test this out on my class tomorrow to see if it works on other people's posture or not. Posture is such an individual thing. For years when people said to stand up straight not only did I stop hunching my shoulders, but I think I overextended my back somewhat too. Now I try to concentrate on pulling my pelvis up at the front a bit and on keeping my abdominal muscles contracted, because that's the way I need to correct my posture. I never realized that when I stand I just let my abs hang out until a physiotherapist noticed it last fall. And you wouldn't think it would be from abdominal weakness considering how much they get used when I dance!
So, yeah, I guess that's about it . . . Oh! Except that I've seen one dancer who was quite good, but whose lower back curvature was the most lordotic I've ever seen! The arch in her lower back was so large that I almost found it distracting (but I've been obsessing over posture for several months now). I saw her on the Yousry Sharif Oriental Dance Gala videos (from 1999 and 2000). I think her name is Fatima (she has blonde hair and had really good stage makeup). I wonder how it affects her dance or if she has any back pain? Maybe her body has just adapted . . .
Also, just a comment about neck strength too. I think this dance form has significantly increased my neck strength. When I was a newbie I experienced a lot of neck pain from riding on the bus to university! Too much quick braking! I haven't felt that in years now!
Okay, enough babbling now! How can you tell it's after one a.m., eh? (Gee, guess where I'm from!)
Lorienna
-- posted by Hurley
» Tahlia - I try to have a smaller curve in my back too. I think
my large curve really limits my dancing. In fact, I have a bit of a hard time doing large hip circles. It seems like other dancers do a slight pelvic tilt to the front when they do them. I find this very hard. I think I must be doing something else not quite right too.I feel a pain in my mid-upper back between my shoulder blades after doing movements like chest circles.I stop when it hurts of course but I'd like to know if others ever feel this. I haven't had a teacher - only videos. There are no teachers anywhere near where I live.( I dance for fun and fitness- not show)Tahlia
-- posted by Tahlia
» ghaziya - Posture And Such
Thank you both for launching this discussion!Lorienna, I agree with you that posture is a very personal thing. The pelvic triangle image was taught by the Pilates methodology. I think a lot of people stand with their triangle angled toward the floor behind them a bit, due to the high heels influence.
I don't actually find that the triangle image works for me--the imagery that works for me is thinking of elongating my lower back as much as possible. I guess imagery is an individual thing to, eh?
And Lorienna, you are not alone -- MANY people overextend their backs when told to stand up straight! That's why I'm careful to NOT use that terminology--instead, when I teach I use the puppet string analogy, which seems to be more effective at getting the response I want.
I wonder if the dancer you're describing is Fahtiem. I've never noticed her posture so I don't know whether she arches her back, but she's a WONDERFUL dancer. She specializes in FANTASTIC abdominal isolations. Another truly inspirational dancer who has a very pronounced arch in her back is Delilah. I guess some people can do it without injury, but I also know people who HAVE injured themselves through the arched posture, so I'm always careful to correct it in my students.
-- posted by ghaziya
» ghaziya - Re: I try to have a smaller curve in my back too. I think
In response to message posted by Tahlia:Tahlia, hmmm, I'm not sure why rib cage circles would cause pain for you. None of my students have ever complained of that. Does the pain seem to be coming from your spinal column, or from the surrounding muscles?
I generally do keep a slight pelvic tilt to the front when I do hip circles, to avoid putting excess strain on the small of my back.
You might want to discuss your upper back pain with a certified fitness trainer or physical therapist. Maybe they can correct your technique, if technique is what's causing your pain. Is dancing the only time it hurts? Does it stop hurting when you stop doing the moves that trigger it?
-- posted by ghaziya
» marie22 - Injuries
Shira, that article was excellent. for months, by biggest problem was shimmies. It is my favorite in bellydancing and I couldn't figure out why everytime I did it in class I was in so much lower back pain. My teachers corrected me over and over again. Then I realized that it was my posture. I did stick my butt out and that became painful as I continued to dance. After reading this excellent article, I will be more aware of my posture. I also wear shoes to class for the same reasons you mentioned in the article and because they are comfortable. I don't develop hard soles like the other dancers who dance barefoot. Thanks again.-- posted by marie22
» Tahlia - Yes, ghaziya, The pain is in my centre back. It does feel like
it's in my spine. I feel it mostly when I'm pushing my ribs forward.It did stop if I stopped doing these movements. Unfortunatly, although I stopped when it hurt, by continued practicing of these movements I caused myself to have an "inflamed vertibrae" according to an accuncturist. So now, it doesn't take much for me to feel a twinge and I stop immediatly. I wonder what I could be doing wrong. Perhaps Im just not meant to move that way.
-- posted by Tahlia
» Hurley - Re: Posture And Such
In response to message posted by ghaziya:ah yes! Fahtiem! I agree: her ab isolations are phenomenal! I showed her performance to my students, because she's the first dancer I'd ever seen do lateral movements with her abdomen! I gotta learn that!
Lorienna
-- posted by Hurley
» Cybele123 - Proper stance often isn't taught
In response to message posted by ghaziya:You would be amazed at how many teachers do not teach proper stance and posture. I've been a "professional student" for 10 years and have run into this frequently.
Proper stance is: knees bent, butt tucked in (also known as pelvic tilt in the past), tummy in, chest forward, head back, shoulders back and down.
I once gave a 5 minute lesson to some visiting Canadian students and it consisted of stance. They felt it right away. In just that 5 minutes, their abs were complaining. After they finished gasping, I told them, if you can stand like this you can dance.
But I have taken lessons from many teachers who never discuss stance. When I mention it, I get blank looks. I do not know if this is a case of people teaching too soon or poor teaching continuing itself.
There was a prominent dance teacher in my area whose posture was terrible. She refused to listen to anyone suggesting she had a problem. She did a sudden turnabout in attitude after she injured herself due to poor posture. Several years later she gave up both dance and teaching due to back pain.
Personally I'm a posture fanatic and glad my first teacher was one too.
-- posted by Cybele123
» ghaziya - Re: Yes, ghaziya, The pain is in my centre back. It does feel li
In response to message posted by Tahlia:Hi Tahlia! First, let me say that I am NOT a health care professional, so anything I say is NOT based on any sort of advanced educational background in the healing sciences. It is based ONLY on what I've seen in other people with similar symptoms.
It sounds like you may have a problem with one of the disks in your spinal column. The disks are the pads that rest between your vertebrae. If a disk gets pinched or otherwise injured, that can cause the kind of symptom you describe.
I am not aware of any belly dance move that, if done wrong, could cause this particular symptom. I'm guessing that perhaps you already had the condition before you tried dance, but just hadn't moved in a way that would make it known to you until you tried that particular move.
My advice: STOP doing that move. Period. If you have an injured disk, then any move that causes pain will risk making it worse. Privately explain your condition to your teacher so she won't try to push you into doing something that could injure you further.
I'd encourage you to consult an orthopedist about this situation. They can use tools like X-rays, MRI's, etc. to assess exactly what kind of problem you have, and discuss treatment options with you. If you indeed have a problem with one of your disks, then ignoring it won't make it go away, and it could get worse in the future.
Good luck, and I hope it works out ok for you!
-- posted by ghaziya
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