Getting it Straightened Out: Chiropractic Care for Dancers
By Cashmere
Should a bellydancer consider chiropractic care? Absolutely! Bellydancing involves the body --and in particular the spine-- in a multitude of movements that could result in misalignments of the spine. Chiropractors call these misalignments vertebral subluxations.
Subluxations occurs when one or more of the vertebrae goes beyond the normal range of motions causing strain to the surrounding soft tissues (such as spinal ligaments) and pressure on the spinal nerves. Not only will subluxation cause pain but also because of pressure on the nerve it can cause nerve interference resulting in abnormal nerve supply to the body tissue and organs. Because of the intricate ways belly dancers move this can happen at any given time.
You may feel some discomfort at first or even minor pain and it could come and go or be constant. This interference of the nerve can and will damage body tissue and cause dysfunction within the body. If the body cannot function at 100% then illness will occur and increase the likelihood of further injury.
Many professional athletes and dancers utilize chiropractic care in their overall approach to healthcare. Broadway and Las Vegas performers routinely use chiropractic care to help them maintain professional levels of peak performance.
When incorporating chiropractic care into your overall health and exercise program, you will begin to see and feel a difference in the execution of your hip drops, figure eights, shimmies and backbends (backbends are extremely strenuous on your lower back and spine). Because bellydancing works with your body's natural movements, unlike the rigid form of ballet which alters the body, chiropractic works with your body in a term called Innate Ability, our bodies' own healing powers.
Shots and pills only mask the problem, they are a temporary fix, not a solution. Chiropractic is the least invasive most conservative alternative care to keep your body flexible, conditioned and in optimal health. Just think of the importance of your spine alone and what role it plays in your entire body-injury to the spine can result in sever damage to surrounding organs and tissues or even paralysis, that's how important our spine is.
Cashmere is a licensed Chiropractic Assistant for the Glen Burnie Neck and Back Pain Center. Having seen the results of treament first hand she became interested in helping others achieve relief from their limitations and pain.
This is the second installment in Baltimore Bellydance's ongoing series that explores alternative therapies that may be beneficial for dancers. Previously we ran an article on massage therapy. In the future, we plan articles on chakra balancing, acupuncture and botanical medicine.