Nina Levy discovers that soft tissue therapy is about much more than just feeling good.
One of the greatest challenges of dance is that the body is required to be strong yet supple. In a sense, it’s a contradiction in terms – physically the body is being worked like a machine… but that machine also needs an organic fluidity and flexibility.
According to occupational therapist, Simone Lee, soft tissue therapy can assist dancers in building and maintaining flexibility and facility, as well as treating injuries. Lee, who has worked as an occupational therapist since graduating in 2008, has over 16 years of dance training, and has completed Advanced 2 RAD, senior Cecchetti exams and the senior exams of the Spanish Dance Society. Lee also holds an RAD teacher’s certificate and taught classical ballet in both Sydney and Perth for six years before pursuing her career as an occupational therapist. Now she uses her knowledge of soft tissue therapy together with her dance training and teaching skills to help young dancers to reach their potential.
In layman’s terms, soft tissue therapy is sometimes referred to as “massage” but it’s a term that Lee and her colleagues avoid because it covers such a broad range of services, which may or may not be about injury prevention and management.
So what does the term “soft tissue therapy” mean?
“We’re looking at all the soft tissues of the body – muscles, ligaments, tendons, fascia, connective tissue… everything,” explains Lee. “We also look at the systems of the body – which are essential to maintain wellness and function.” Lee and her colleagues at Health Central Occupational Therapy, a WA-based practice, combine the principals of soft tissue therapy with those of occupational therapy to help dancers maintain the central tool of their trade – their body.
Many of Lee’s clients are pre-professional level dance students. “Dancers come to me because of injuries, or even little aches or pains,” she reports. “Some students come in because of lack of flexibility. Sometimes teachers send students in the check their hip facility and see if they are physically not able to rotate more, or is it just that they aren’t working properly in class. Then we assess and see if there is anything we can help structurally to improve that rotation in the hips. We do pre-assessments for pointe too.” So, for dancers, soft tissue therapy can be about improving performance as well as diagnosing, treating and preventing injuries.
Lack of hip rotation and flexibility is one of the most common reasons why dancers visit Lee. “You’ve got to look structurally at the pelvis, first of all, to find out what is stopping the dancer from rotating further at the hips,” she says. “It could be something like weakness through the glutes which makes the thigh bones more inwardly rotated. You’re looking at what’s tight and what’s weak and reversing that. The solution may be as simple strengthening the piriformus muscle, and releasing the adductors to enable a student to get that rotation.”
Lack of turnout can also be caused by tightness in the lower spine. “If the cause is lumbar-sacral tightness in the spine, we use distraction and traction techniques to increase range of movement and mobility,” she says. “Traction means ‘to pull apart’ – we want to make sure that the hip joint isn’t stuck or immobile.”
While soft tissue therapy is focused on physically manipulating the soft tissues of the body, it’s not just about the hands-on stuff, says Lee. The physical state of the soft tissues is affected by emotion as well as motion. “As an occupational therapist I am concerned with the mind-body connection as well,” remarks Lee.“I see so many dancers who are 14 to 15 years old, training full-time. Their bodies are under so much stress. It’s not only about physically enabling their body to relax and release tension from their body to enable them to perform better, but teaching them to use their minds to release that tension too. Often I give dancers visualisation or relaxation techniques, looking at their breathing – checking they’re doing correct, diaphragmatic breathing and getting enough oxygen to their muscles to prevent tightness and cramps.”
Positive thinking is another technique that Lee encourages when helping students to improve their flexibility. “If you don’t see yourself doing it, you won’t,” she states firmly. “I go through basic visualisation techniques – almost coaching or counselling to get some confidence in them.”
Because she treats so many young dancers, Lee is keen to pass on some tips for aspiring dancers. “The best thing is to be aware what is going on in your body and not to ignore things. You’ve got to communicate with your teacher if you have any aches or pains. Early intervention is the best intervention,” she advises. “If you want to get the best out of your body, though, it’s not just about training. Getting soft tissue treatment, lying down for a bit of relaxation and visualisation works wonders. Ultimately, too, you’ve got to believe in yourself, believe that your body can do what you want it to do.”
- Nina Levy
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