Many injuries suffered by performing artists are preventable or are caused by extrinsic factors that can be controlled. The most common things that can lead to these injuries include:
- Fatigue, physical or mental (here’s an article explaining this concept to performers)
- Muscular imbalance
- Poor balance ability
- Poor proprioception
- Poor agility
- Poor postural/movement control and mechanics
- Poor health
- Environmental concerns including excessive temperature, high or low humidity, uneven surfaces, low traction, low light (or no light), and bright light
Just as many injuries are caused by several factors, there are several lifestyle behaviors that fall into the category of “injury prevention.”
Injury prevention includes:
- Proper sleep – getting enough high quality sleep on a regular schedule
- Adequate nutrition – regularly consuming a balanced, healthy diet that provides an adequate supply of energy throughout the day
- Warming up before vigorous exercise
- Stretching/adequate flexibility
- Cross-training/exercising for physical fitness
- Identifying and correcting poor form, improper postural alignment, and poor technique/mechanics
Many of these behaviors are taken for granted by medical professionals, since we consider it to be very basic knowledge that exercising regularly and eating well will protect you from injury (and keep you healthier overall). However, the injury risk-reducing properties of these behaviors are often overlooked in the performing arts community (well, in the general population as a whole), which makes it imperative for us, as healthcare experts, to remind them that a healthy lifestyle will keep them performing and may actually improve their performance.
Check back later for articles focusing on specific injury prevention strategies in this on-going series.
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