How to Rehabilitate a Hamstring Injury in Ballet

A hamstring injury doesn’t have to end your career as a ballet dancer, but it is something that you need to watch carefully. The hamstring is a very vulnerable spot on your body because it is directly between two joints: the knee and hip. When you damage your hamstring, the area will often be swollen or inflamed. This can make the rehabilitation process a little harder. Since you use your hamstring muscles frequently in ballet dancing, you need to rehabilitate the muscles slowly and focus on stretching.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Time to Rest

1. Slow down on your exercises when you begin to feel pain or tightness. Continuing to use the same routine you did before the injury can slow down the healing process.

2. Rest the hamstring muscle. Many dancers find it helpful to take a few days off, to give their body time to heal.

3. Stretch and strengthen the muscle using exercises and routines prescribed by a doctor or trainer. You want to take things slow and steady.

4. Use different techniques to increase the strength in the muscles. Many doctors recommend swimming as a way to rehabilitate the hamstring because it stretches the area without putting too much pressure on the spot.

Tips & Warnings

• If the injury becomes extremely painful, seek medical attention and stop dancing.
• Do not keep the muscle covered with a dressing or bandage. This can make the injury take even longer to heal.
• Avoid over-stretching the hamstring muscles as this can make the muscle even tighter.