Doctors and dancers decode the physics of movement and posture to prevent injuries

“While the satellite sees the grace and quality successful a creation recital, I involuntarily spot musculus fatigue, and immoderate imaginable strain connected the dancer’s spine, knees and ankles,” said Prashanth Nagaraj, an orthopaedic arthroplasty surgeon, who led a caller store connected ‘Biomechanics of Dance and Dancers’ Bone Health’. 

Organised by Anaadya Performing Arts, founded by Bengaluru-based Kathak dancer Arpita Banerjee, the store was held astatine Dhurii Studio. The two-and-a-half-hour interactive league had participants volunteering to show creation movements and postures that were past scientifically analysed by Dr. Prashanth and Dr. Bhavana M.B., pediatric physiotherapist and objective researcher. 

“Pain is often ignored by dancers. We don’t recognize the quality betwixt bully and atrocious pain, particularly erstwhile we commencement dancing arsenic children. I suffered a genu dislocation during a rehearsal successful 2010. My guru Nandini Mehta referred maine to  Dr. Prashanth, who treated maine with isometric exercises,” shared Arpita. The wounded reshaped her narration with dance, and led her to advocator a much informed attack to movement.

Dr. Prashanth, whose enactment acts arsenic a span betwixt objective subject and movement, besides highlighted however dancers “push their bodies to execute grace portion retaining their posture and risking injury”. 

The orthopedic surgeon took to this survey arsenic his parent Vimala Nagaraj learnt Bharatanatyam. “It helped maine recognize the carnal demands and method of classical dance.” 

The store besides dealt with systemic issues specified arsenic level feet dancers often overlook. Dr. Bhavana said: “The harder you pat your feet, the stronger the interaction connected your legs, hips and spine. Flat feet tin permission the dancer with ft problems oregon chronic ankle pain.”

Arpita added: “Some dancers are calved with level feet and proceed to creation without pain. However, prolonged signifier without awareness, improper enactment oregon deficiency of musculus spot tin aggravate underlying issues. What is worrying is not the anatomy, but the ignorance — the inclination to disregard discomfort arsenic regular strain.”

Kathak doesn’t origin arthritis oregon wellness issues, opined Arpita. “It follows a technological progression — dilatory footwork, gradual speed, manus movements, past chakkars. This allows the assemblage to acclimatise the muscles and joints. The enactment aligns naturally.” However, an wounded is not the end. “It means you perceive to your assemblage and restart.” 

Dr. Bhavana demonstrated physiotherapy and absorption exercises and correctional postures that would fortify dancers’ muscles. 

Bharatanatyam’s araimandi posture was discussed too, and the alignment of toes, ankles and knees of a unpaid were analysed. 

Speaking of the subject down dance, Dr. Prashanth said: “Bharatanatyam is much postural, Kathak is much into neuromuscular control, which is what we spot during the chakkars. The occupation arises erstwhile the subject down the question is ignored. We request to recognize that.”

Though Odissi dancers were not contiguous astatine the workshop, we reached retired to Bengaluru-based Madhulita Mohapatra, a pupil of Gangadhar Pradhan. According to her, the astir communal injuries successful Odissi dancers were genu strain, ankle stiffness, little backmost fatigue and occasional musculus pulls. “These usually travel with overuse, insufficient warm-up, incorrect alignment oregon fatigue. Personally, wounded teaches humility — it reminds america to respect the body,” she said.

The basal stances successful Odissi, Chowka and Tribhanga are not harmful erstwhile taught and practiced correctly. “Problems originate erstwhile dancers illness into their knees, fastener their joints, unreserved movements, oregon signifier without capable spot and preparation,” Madhulita said.

Rest is an important facet of this too. “If you person a creation programme tomorrow, disagreement signifier implicit a week. The bones and muscles request clip to unbend and recuperate,” explained Dr. Prashanth.

Madhulita cited the examples of seasoned gurus Kelucharan Mohapatra and Pandit Birju Maharaj, who danced adjacent successful their precocious ages. “They respected technique, alignment, bushed and moderation, and nurtured their creation with beardown fundamentals and a coagulated foundation.” She referenced ‘The Odissi Dance Path Finder’, a publication by Odissi Research Centre, Bhubaneswar. “It offers illustrations of postures, stances, manus gestures, assemblage positions and transitions.” 

Talking astir irreversible injuries that led to amputation, Dr. Prashanth mentioned the cases of Sudha Chandran, Amy Purdy and Evan Ruggiero, who creation with prosthetic limbs. “Their cases are studied crossed the globe by surgeons, due to the fact that they overcame challenges utilizing biomechanics.”

Bharatanatyam dancer Shijit Nambiar suffered superior injuries successful a roadworthy mishap successful 2013, and suffered extended harm to his knee, including ligament injuries and aggregate fractures. Doctors predicted a betterment play of six to 7 months — Shijit returned to the signifier successful 4 months! “It meant rigorous physiotherapy, value grooming and strengthening,” said the dancer, who was treated successful Coimbatore by orthopaedic surgeon Dr. David Rajan on with Dr. Kannabiran Bhojan, who documented his rehabilitation and recovery. 

“For centuries, Indian classical creation traditions person nurtured not conscionable performers, but besides resilient bodies. Yet today, conversations astir creation injuries are becoming frequent. It is due to the fact that thing indispensable has been diluted on the way,” said Shijit, who trained astatine Kalakshetra successful Chennai. “Injury prevention was built into the training. Classical creation is backed by science. Historically, Bharatanatyam grooming incorporated elements comparable to kalari, yoga and Ayurveda — systems that information the assemblage alongside creator training. Similar models inactive beryllium successful Kerala’s Kalamandalam, wherever Kathakali artistes acquisition uzhichal, meyi uzhichal and meyi sadhagam arsenic portion of their play routine. That is why, contempt them wearing dense costumes and sitting successful 1 posture for long, they inactive don’t endure injuries. It is due to the fact that their bodies are prepared.”

Dr. Kannabiran, co-founder of Yashoda Physiotherapy-Fascikinetics and Faciapraxis, Coimbatore, lists the astir communal creation injuries arsenic large toed inflammation and fracture of the tiny toe. “These are communal successful children who dance. The snapping hep is seen successful elder dancers. Then we besides person triple cartilage injuries, a effect of precocious kicks. It is champion that dancers get a basal screening done to cheque bony alignment, level feet, sound genu syndrome, choky hips and truthful on, truthful they cognize their limits and wherever to gully the line.”

He besides said that 80 per cent of creation injuries bash not necessitate surgery, and tin beryllium treated with physiotherapy. “Dancers person precocious symptom tolerance and thin to creation done pain. Every dancer needs to beryllium educated that this is not good.”