People Taking to 'Strictly Come Dancing' at a Higher Risk of Injuries

The craze of ballroom dancing, which has been ignited by the success of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’ is putting armchair enthusiasts at a higher risk of agonising injuries.

The craze of ballroom dancing, which has been ignited by the success of ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, the BBC television celebrity contest, is putting armchair enthusiasts at a higher risk of agonising injuries, say medical experts.

Physiotherapists have said that after years of inactivity, taking suddenly to the dance floor increases the possibilities of painful cuts and wounds.

They contemplated so because the tricky routines of dances such as the tango or foxtrot expose amateurs' poor fitness levels.

Various schools in Britain said that the number of people taking ballroom classes had doubled since the show began three years ago, while the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) said that its members were treating more and more amateurs for snapped tendons, twisted ankles and back pain.

"In the 1980s and 1990s we saw a lot of knee injuries linked to the craze for step aerobics. Now ballroom has taken off, we see many more ankle and foot injuries,” Telegraph quoted Sammy Margo, of the CSP, as saying.

Jo Hutchinson, 60, a physiotherapist who is based at Oaks Hospital in Ipswich, was inspired by the first series to become a passionate amateur dancer.

But even she warns about the high risks of the act, adding that women were at extra risk of foot injuries because they danced in high-heeled shoes.

"It's a very deceptive art. The professionals on TV make it look easy. The higher the heel the more pressure there is on the foot and when you are also dancing in a high-impact way, the risks increase,” she said.

Some of the most common dancing injuries are ankle sprain, knee injury, lower back pain strain, foot strain, and hamstring injury.

Source-ANI
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