Injury
Injury is inevitable. When you're young you don't think about injury very often until it happens because your body is so resilient. It's like one day I turned 24 (still very young I know, but not in dancer standards!) and my body started falling apart! One day my hamstrings are pulled, the next my sacrum feels jammed from the scoliosis in my spine, the next my ankle is strained. As a trained dancer coming into the world of pole dancing three years ago I have definitely pushed my body to it's extremes and taken it to new levels I never could have achieved on the ground alone. On the one hand my body is stronger than it's ever been, but my injuries are more crippling.
I've learned to live with injuries, and trust my body. It's resilience is truly amazing! My hamstrings took 9 months to heal, but now they feel great! I thought they'd be permanently damaged and I'd never be able to attempt a proper split again, but I just laid off the split moves for a while and gently started stretching and strengthening over time. In the last couple years I've had many injuries like this and have recovered, but I find myself wondering what body parts are the most important to me. As a pole dancer, I'd have to say MY ARMS!
I figured that out three weeks ago when I partially dislocated my shoulder. I was tired from teaching three classes that day, and during the fourth I was asked to demonstrate a move I don't normally teach. It was an relatively easy move.. a slide down the pole into a split on the ground. OR SO I THOUGHT..and BAM! shoulder pops out. Instinctively, I engaged all my muscles so I wouldn't just fall right off the pole and once I got to the ground it popped back in! I think if I hadn't done that it would have come all the way out. In any case, I knew instantly that it was real bad and that I wouldn't be able to use my right arm at all. Luckily, the studio owner was there to help out with this particular pole party and was able to demonstrate moves for the duration of the class. I maintained my calm until I got to my car and couldn't even put my purse in the seat next to me without extreme pain. I pretty much lost it from there.
Verdict: Partially torn bicep ligaments and rotator cuff (terus minor). Or so my PT friend tells me since I have no insurance :) ahhh the life of a dancer. Absolutely no poling. Looking at two months or more of being grounded depending on how it heals. I couldn't even lift my arm to 45 degrees without pain let alone lift my body weight upside down.
This absolutely terrified me. I've been injured before, but I found myself wondering if I'd ever get on a pole again! As a dancer coming from the ground, becoming a vertical dancer has been the most thrilling experience I've ever had and I felt heartbroken at being grounded for an undetermined amount of time. Getting up there again seemed so far off to me seeing as how I couldn't even wash my own hair or take off my shirt without a struggle (darn wide muscular shoulders!). Not to mention I walk dogs during the day and teach pole classes or parties every day and night as my only sources of income.. I realized just how valuable my arm is to me. I went through days of depression and feelings of helplessness, but I knew I had to get over it and figure it out. SO I've gotten much better at teaching verbally, and doing spins on my left arm. It has been hard to teach anything that involves climbing, inverting, etc. but luckily I have regular students I have demonstrate for me.
Progress is slow, but steady. By my first week I was able to raise my arm all the way 180 degrees up to my ear before I felt pain. By my second week I gently attempted climbing again and this week I did a few spins on my bad arm and inverted! I'm afraid of going too fast and injuring myself further because if I rip that rotator cuff all the way the only thing that will fix it is surgery and then a much longer recovery time. It's been super frustrating especially when all I do is teach people how to get airborne and have to stay on the ground, but I am determined to make a full recovery and I know I will get back up there soon.
I have taken pleasure in helping other people grow and ironically taught a deaf girl in one of my classes which was really inspiring for me during this challenging time. I taught this girl who CAN'T HEAR a chair and pole dance that was really hard. Had I known I would have choreographed something easier and more rhythmic, but I'm glad I didn't because she caught on just fine and was killing this dance better than anyone in the class! Just goes to show you how people can overcome these physical challenges like that one armed pole dancer Deborah Roach, or another girl I taught that only had ONE LEG. It was just what I needed in that moment.
Anyhoo, these are lessons I have learned that hopefully every dancer/aerialist can benefit from:
1. STAY FOCUSED. Listen to your body. You cannot hang upside down casually without awareness and knowledge of what goes where. Do not attempt the same trick over and over without resting in between and knowing when to stop or move on to something else. It was my lack of focus and fatigue that got me injured this time around.
2. IF YOU INJURE YOURSELF, REST. Do not get back out there and do the same shit tomorrow! You WILL recover faster as opposed to re-injuring yourself over and over.
3. ICE AND IBUPROFEN ARE YOUR BEST FRIENDS. Just do it. You'll feel better and will recover faster.
3. KEEP MOVING. You have got to keep the blood flowing! Within reason of course..if you're leg is broken obviously don't go running, but do what you can in a pain free range. I couldn't get on the pole for the first couple weeks, but I kept doing warm ups and found I could do a little more as time went on. This helped me avoid having my injured area become stiff and weak. Slowly, I have been able to gently test what I can and can't do.
5. YOUR BODY IS AMAZING AND RESILIENT. It wants to heal.. I am living proof. Treat it right and it IS POSSIBLE. Don't get lost in despair, you will make a come back (I still have to remind myself sometimes)
MISERY LOVES COMPANY!!! What do you feel is the most valuable part of your body? Tell me about your injuries!
-Jessica