Injuries can be devastating to a dance career, but you can reduce their occurrence or avoid them—if you know what to look for.

1. Neck Strain: Choreography that calls for excessive head movement can easily strain dancers’ neck muscles, especially if dancers do not properly use the full spine when arching the head/neck.

Prevention Tip: Lengthen the neck rather than collapse it. I like using the image of  fountains : a long, graceful arch.

2. Rotator Cuff Tendonitis and Impingement: Extensive use of the arms (overhead lifts and falls) can lead to tears in upper-arm tendons or even impingement, painful pressure felt in the shoulder when the rotator cuff and scapula rub together as arms are lifted.

Prevention Tip: Be aware of the actual landmarks of the shoulder girdle. Once dancers understand the scapula is located behind them, they can have better anatomically aligned mechanics.

3. Lower-Back Strain and Muscle Spasms: Lifting, arching and improper technique can all overwork and strain the lower-back extensor-erector muscles. Dancers with lordosis (a swayed back or lower-back curve) are more prone to spasms.

Prevention Tip: I like to use the image of a cummerbund, where the dancer has a more three-dimensional sense of their abdominal wall. Or imagine the pelvis as a bowl with water. Preventing the water from splashing will improve core strength.

4. Snapping Hip Syndrome: Iliotibial (IT) band tightness, weakness along the outside of the hip and lordosis can cause this syndrome. Dancers will experience a snapping rubber-band–like sound in the frontal hip joint, as the IT band glides over the greater trochanter (upper-leg bone).

Prevention Tip: Strengthen the lower abs and all pelvic stabilisers (abductors, adductors, hip flexors), and avoid turning out at the feet, which stresses the knees and hips.

5. Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome: This syndrome stems from tight hamstrings and calf muscles, weak quadriceps and repetitive force from normal movement putting pressure on the patella (kneecap), causing the knee-protecting cartilage to lose its shock-absorbing ability. Dancers with high-arched or flat fleet, wide hips and knees that turn in or out are more likely to experience this pain.

Prevention Tip: The knee is the victim between the ankle and the hip, so core strength, hip-abductor strength training and IT stretching are key.

6. Meniscus Knee Tear: Twisting knees during movement, forcing feet in turnout or losing control when landing a jump can tear the cushioning knee cartilage.

Prevention Tip: Strengthening the core is so crucial to knee health. It lessens the burden on the knee, so you are not landing with so much force.

7. Posterior Tibial Tendonitis: Dropping the medial arch during warm-ups or basic barre exercises overworks the tibial tendon. This type of tendonitis also coincides with shin splints or can be the result of chronic ankle rolling.

Prevention Tip: Work to lift the arches and do not force turnout from the feet.

8. Achilles Tendonitis: An overuse injury caused by training extensively during a short period of time, dancing on a hard floor or putting pressure on a tightened calf muscle. Weight pressure or unbalanced range of motion will predispose dancers to this type of tendonitis.

Prevention Tip: Use Thera-Bands when doing tendus, basic flexibility and resistance work.

9. Lateral Ankle Sprain: A ligament tear that happens when the outside of the ankle rolls inward after loss of balance from landing a jump.

Prevention Tip: Use a Thera-Band to keep the ankle flexible and strong.

10. Posterior Ankle Impingement Syndrome: A pinching sensation felt during repeated movement, as the heel bone comes into contact with the talus bone and tissues at the back of the ankle compress. Reaching a full range of motion when pointing the feet or in relevé will be difficult. Dancers born with an extra bone in place are more prone to this syndrome.

Prevention Tip: Vary your training regimen to focus on other types of dance after excessive pointe or demi pointe work.