Pole dancing is a healthy activity that can increase your body’s stamina, strength, and flexibility. However, the wrong techniques can hurt your body.
Pole dance involves many intense body movements that could be dangerous. So, is pole dancing bad for your knees? How to prevent injuries when pole dancing?
If you are wondering about these questions, this post is a must-read.
I will discuss the effect of pole dance on your knees and body muscles, and give some helpful measures to minimize injury. Keep reading to find out!
Is Pole Dancing Bad For Your Knees?
The answer is no. While pole dancing generates tremendous pressure on your knees, it won’t lead to injury if you are careful and follow the safety measures.
It’s indisputable that the risks of knee injuries are very high for pole dancers.
Your knees have to endure tremendous pressure and tension generated from constant movements and stretchy techniques.
However, pole dancers can avoid injuries when keeping their limit and implementing safety measures when performing.
The critical thing is to avoid false and dangerous techniques when your body is not ready for them.
Why are knees prone to injuries and pain when practicing pole dance? Follow the sections below, and I will tell you.
How Dancers Use Their Knees While Pole Dancing?
Pole dance involves various movements and tricks that require the dancers to bend their knees and spin around the pole.
Whether you perform a floor skill or hand on the pole, your knees are always prone to injury.
If you lose balance or accidentally slip off the pole, your knees will hit the ground hard to lead to tremendous pain or severe injuries.
The knees’ joints can become fractured, and your bone will get hurt.
In addition, the dancers have to use their thigh muscles continuously when practicing pole dance.
It can result in imbalanced flexibility and squad strength, eventually causing injury.
When your squad muscle is too strong, but the hamstrings are not strong enough to share the pressure, your knees can suffer from pain and injuries.
The movements can place more pressure on one of your legs rather than two.
As a result, a knee has to bear more pressure, making its bones and joints susceptible to problems like fractures or sprains.
Therefore, distributing the pressure balance between the muscles is vital for a pole dancer.
The dancer will warm up their knees and perform some stretchy moves to get their muscles ready for the continuous pressure.
In addition, they will take a brief rest to avoid generating too much pressure on their muscles.
When Is Pole Dancing Bad For Your Knees?
Pole dancing doesn’t negatively affect the dancers’ knees if they follow the safety measures and perform the proper techniques.
The leading cause of pain and knee injuries is the lack of experience when performing pole dancing.
For example, you may need to remember to warm up the muscles before jumping to the intense workout or movements of pole dance.
Another common cause is not knowing the body’s limit. Many dancers try to perform complex and dangerous techniques when they are not ready.
As a result, they can quickly lose control and slip off, resulting in severe knee injuries.
On the other hand, your knees will be fine if you know your limit and avoid doing advanced, dangerous movements.
Over time, the body muscles and knees will grow stronger and more adaptive to the pole dance techniques.
As a result, they can become more flexible and resilient and thus can bear more pressure over a more extended time.
Please keep in mind that injuries can sometimes happen to the most experienced pole dancers.
Read more: Can You Pole Dance While Pregnant?
Methods To Protect Knees For Pole Dancers
As mentioned above, you can minimize the risks of pain and knee injuries by preparing for your performance and following safety measures.
Here are some effective and easy measures to protect the knees when pole dancing:
Warm Up And Wear Protective Gears Before You Start
Warming up before performing intense and continuous body movements is an essential safety rule.
It gives your muscles and knees time to adapt and prepare them well for the upcoming exercises.
You can also wear knee protection pads to cover your knees and avoid injuries when accidents occur.
They are available in many accessories stores and online retail shops at reasonable prices.
Read more: Best Knee Pads For Pole Dancing
Know Your Body’s Limits
The most common mistakes both beginners and experienced pole dancers make is not knowing their body’s limits.
When you feel tired or painful in the muscles, it’s essential to take a brief rest.
Your body muscles and knees require time to heal and recover from the stamina-burning hours of training.
If you keep pole dancing and pushing the limits, the risks of injury will increase significantly.
In addition, always start with the easy and safe techniques first. Allow your body time to adapt and strengthen before moving on to advanced techniques.
Keep A Good Shape
A beautiful and lean body shape is the first criterion to judge a pole dancer.
No matter how skillfully you perform your pole dance, an overweight or unhealthy body shape will make you look unattractive.
Therefore, feel free to sign up for the gyms and work out regularly in your free time.
It will help you relax and heal your muscles after the hard pole dance practice sessions.
You should avoid fast food, sugary drinks, and other processed products that will weaken your muscle and ruin your body shape.
Aim for a healthy and protein-rich diet, which will make your knees stronger.
Strengthen Your Muscles
The best method to strengthen your legs and knees is by doing workouts.
You should prioritize the exercises that make your calves, glutes, hamstrings, and thighs more resilient.
In addition, these exercises can increase your stamina and flexibility, which are vital for an excellent pole dancer.
However, you should not choose exercises that make your legs and muscles bigger.
Bigger legs won’t be attractive when you perform a pole dance.
Therefore, you should combine exercising with cardio workouts and a healthy habit to keep you lean and maintain a good shape.
Knee Injury Expected Recovery Time
If you feel an injury in your knees or any body parts, it’s essential to stop pole dancing immediately.
Don’t try to move around if the pain doesn’t stop. Sit down and take a brief rest to assess the problems carefully.
If you can still walk, move to the nearest hospitals or medical facilities to have your knees checked.
A severe injury such as bone fractal or breakage will take months to recover.
Meanwhile, mild pain or swelling will take a few days to one week to recover, but you must rest well and avoid robust movements.
FAQs
If you still have further questions about pole dancing, plus the safety measures of this practice, check out the sections below.
Is Pole Dancing Dangerous?
There are always risks of injury when performing gymnastic sports and pole dancing.
However, if you meet the required physical conditions and follow the safety measures, pole dancing is generally safe to practice.
Only perform dangerous and hard techniques if you are ready for them. Always know your body’s limits and start with easy skills before advancing to the more difficult ones.
Read more: Common Pole Dance Injuries
What Pole Dancing Moves Affect Your Knees?
Pole dance involves a lot of body movements generated by different muscles, including the knees, ankles, spines, and arms.
Read more: Can I Pole Dance with Weak Ankles?
Some basic techniques generate pressure on your knees, such as spins.
To perform the spins, you must frequently bend your knees and move around the pole.
These techniques are not dangerous, but inexperienced dancers can injure their knees when accidentally hitting the ground or pole.
What To Do When You Suspect Injuries In Your Knee While Pole Dancing?
If you suspect that your knee is hurting, stop the dance immediately and avoid moving around.
Try to sit down slowly and take a brief rest to feel your body’s muscles and knees better.
For severe injuries with a lot of pain, you should contact medical centers or hospitals for medical checks.
If you can still walk, move to the hospital as soon as possible to have your knees checked and treated.
Final Thoughts
In summary, pole dancing is not detrimental to your knees if you follow the safety measures and tips to protect your muscles.
The risks of injuries are very high when you perform dangerous techniques without preparation.
There are always risks of injuries and pain associated with any sport. The key thing is to prepare your body well and try to minimize accidents.
Don’t push your limits and expose your knees to danger.
The answer and safety tips provided can help you avoid knee injuries when practicing pole dance. Thank you for reading!
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