Salsa Injuries - The 5 Types and How to Prevent Them

Jan 24 , 2021

Erandika Mohanathasan

Tags - Salsa Injuries

Salsa is profoundly a dance with aerobic structure and is also considered a competitive sport, Therefore, the possibility of getting injured is quite high.

Like any other sport or dance, Salsa requires multiple hours of training and rehearsals.

So, doing that with no proper supervision or stretching the muscles before performing could increase the risk of an injury.

If you are unfit, tired, have a previous injury or a medical condition, dancing in a non firm platform could also increase the risk of getting injured while performing Salsa.

Salsa Injuries and Prevention

1. Hip Pain

Female salsa dancers are more likely to get hip pain due to strain on the hip as a result of being spinned by the partner excessively.

Therefore, to avoid the hip pain, women should take the initiative for their spin, centre the body and support their own weight.

Also, always check with the trainer if you are doing the spin correctly, and practice well to avoid getting hip pains.

2. Medial Ligament Strain

Transferring weight between each leg constantly while bending and straightening the legs, adds strain to the medial ligaments.

So, stretch before and after the rehearsal to avoid these injuries.

3. Dislocations

The shoulder, knee and hip dislocation are quite common in Salsa, which occurs due to ball and socket joint trauma.

Further, this occurs as a result of harsh impact, unexpected and harsh twisting and unplanned or untrained movements.

Therefore, be vigilant while performing, practice well before the performance and make slow changes to avoid dislocations.

Female dancers are more likely to dislocate their knees as their bone density is less compared to men, have inaccurate leg alignments and out of shape quadriceps.

So, women should be more careful while performing.

4. Bruises

Impact with other dancers’ heels or jewelleries could cause bruise and injuries.

In this case you should apply ice, attend to the wound and prevent dancing for a few days till it heals.

Further, wearing improper shoes will cause imbalance and cause further damage and injuries. For instance, wearing too high heels for Salsa could harm the ankle and also contribute towards formation of bunions.

So, ladies should be careful when wearing heels.

5. Hard Floor Injuries

Dancing on the hard floors such as concrete could strain the spine or lower back leading to injuries.

Apart from that, that strain (Plantar Fascial strain to the foot) could also lead to tearing of fibrous tissues from the foot to heal.

So, wear proper shoes to protect the foot while rehearsing and practise the landings well so it wouldn't have a long term effect on you.

To learn more, get in touch with us today.

In the meantime, check our range of Dance Heels.