How to treat some knee injuries from dance

The knee is vulnerable to injuries that range from mild to severe, including meniscal or cartilage tears. Apart from the usual wearing out of cartilage from loading the joint, Dr. Douglas Padgett, who practices at the Hip and Knee Center at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, believes that some of these knee problems may occur in dancers with limited hip rotation. Twisting your knees to improve turnout may place you at risk for meniscal damage.

Choreography that involves deep squats or sudden grand plies can also damage knee cartilage. "It's like pinching your finger in a door hinge," says Katy Keller, clinical director of physical therapy service at the Juilliard School. Johary Ramos, a former dancer in the Fosse national tour, remembers performing a somewhat brutal number where he had to jump from a ladder backstage onto a trampoline and land in a squatting position on the stage. In one performance, Ramos says, "I felt a weakness but didn't know anything was structurally wrong. I did nine more performances until my bad knee was so swollen that I couldn't walk."

At first, it may be difficult to tell if an injury is mild, moderate, or severe, especially if you're like most dancers, who rarely give in to pain. So, unless your physical evaluation indicates that you need surgery because your knee is locked, you follow the same procedure for ankle sprains: RICE and rehab, including hands-on therapy and exercises. You may also try other modalities like electric stimulation to speed up the healing process. If your knee continues to catch or cause swelling and pain, your doctor may order an MRI for a more accurate diagnosis. Dancers who require surgery usually have it performed with an arthroscope, which is an instrument about the size of a drinking straw that can remove bone fragments and trim the meniscus.