4 Ways to Prevent Common Dance Injuries

1. Shaking it a Little too Hard

It's easy to get into the moment, feel the music and really shake it up on the dance floor. Dancing can be extremely taxing on the joints, muscles and bones and if you are not in good shape, then injuries can hit with a vengeance. Be particularly careful when you have been drinking. Professional dancers in every discipline have a variety of stretches and conditioning training modalities that they use to avoid injury. For the purpose of this piece, concentrate on the amateur who dances at parties and clubs for fun and exercise. People at every fitness level need to heed certain techniques to avoid common dance injuries.

2. Watch Your Dance Moves

Common injuries seen on the dance floor include pulled back muscles, twisted ankles, dislocated shoulders and abdominal cramps. Most of these injuries can be avoided if you maintain a regular workout routine that includes stretching and toning. Athletes who train with strengthening and flexibility routines are much more prepared for a turn around the dance floor than those who rarely leave the couch. Yet even athletes don't always practice a full range of motion when they do their daily routines. Include total upper body stretches to prepare for the twisting and turning you might do to a good rock tune. People who are less fit should temper their dance moves until they get in better shape. Don't try to emulate the buff dancers who obviously spend a lot of time in the gym or running through the streets for miles at a time.

3. Turn Your Partner

Learn the correct moves if you are including a partner in your dancing entertainment. If you are going to a club that plays swing music and all the dancers are partnered up, watch how they lightly hold each other's hands for twirls. Too many novice swing dancers hold hands too tightly and don't even realize it until they feel a shoulder pop out of place. Take lessons in swing dance and other partner dances before attempting to wow a date.

4. Follow the Dress Code

To prevent twisted ankles, only dance in shoes that are comfortable and you are used to wearing. New spike heels an inch higher than you've ever worn before are not appropriate footwear for dancing. If you've danced in heels and can handle the moves, then wear the heels in which you have practiced. Watch others on the floor as well. Too often, accidents happen when dancers step on each other's feet or cause another dancer to reel with a shove and turn an ankle or fall down. Be aware of your surroundings at all times.