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Thoughts on time off from pole?
Does anyone have any advice for me or a similar experience? I've only been pole dancing since October so I'm still quite new. I had an evaluation by a physical therapist today and they said that I need to take at least a month away from the pole in order to strengthen my back and shoulders. My muscles have become unbalanced and my upper traps and neck are over-compensating for weak shoulders. This is not a condition that was caused by pole – however aggravated by it. Even though my brain understands it when Veena says "engage your scapula – don't let your shoulders scrunch up towards your ears", my body doesn't quite get the message. It was a wicked struggle for me in the beginning to gain enough strength to even lift myself onto the pole and I was happy with my progress, slow as it may be. I'm really disappointed to find out that I've been lifting myself incorrectly – how could I have mis-judged my own body movements so much?! Perhaps when I'm cleared to start dancing again I could have my daughter video me and some of you lovely ladies could help me identify any troublesome movements I might be doing? Veena, is that something that you could help me with? I suppose I could invite my physical therapist to come home with me for a pole evaluation – I some how don't think that he would take that in the right way – lol.
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4 Replies
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Have your therapist take a look at these conditioning exercises. There are 10 total that focus on proper shoulder/scapula engagement. Here's the first of the 10 https://www.studioveena.com/lessons/view/0225276c-b90a-11df-856f-001b214581be
For many people what FEELS right isn't always correct, this is why using a mirror or video so you can see what your doing can be helpful. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_flower.gif
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I have unbalanced muscles as well. This is where my knee-troubles come from! It's quite painful, and can sometimes cripple me from bending for days.
However, if your Physical therapist is saying to take a break… I would likely listen to them. You could likely get your pole fix (please pass this by your Physical therapist, though!) by working on easy moves that don't bear any weight on your arms. Work on transitions, keep your feet on the ground, just swing your hips around and have a little fun! Pole dancing is not JUST about the climbs and upside down moves!
If you need to strengthen certain muscle groups in order for your muscles to be able to take the strain, you can also think of it as conditioning for your dancing. Like, by the time you're done, you'll be a lot healthier, and possibly more powerful, so you can do more things with pole!
Trust me, sometimes what we think is going on with our bodies really isn't what's going on. We do our best to stay balanced, but we're often not aware of every single muscle that is or is not engaged- it's more like "the area" of muscles, and sometimes we don't even think about that! That's how my knees got buggered 😉
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I have a very similar problem. My middle and lower traps are very weak and it is causing my upper traps and neck to be constantly squeezing. This has in turn cause me to suffer from awful headaches for years. I am in the middle of trying to even myself out. I'm not poling as much. It's not a big deal if you think that you are doing what is best for your body. It won't be forever. Once you even yourself out, your poling will be better and safer.
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Thanks Girls! I'll keep on muddling along. I look forward to my comback – stronger than before!
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