Practical Solutions for Aches & Pains

There is a stigma, a myth, that physical symptoms equate to weakness and incompetency.  It follows then that most tudents are not forthcoming about physical aches.  While untreated symptoms and the accompanying denial quickly compromise their practicing and confidence, we as teachers CAN make a tremendous impact and smoke out the issues early on.  At regular intervals in the lesson hour, I make it a point to ask my students to self-monitor their muscle tension, among other awareness topics, and this practice has paid off.  The younger ones especially seem to need my permission for them to bring up such things.  Once they are are aware of the problems, we can attend to the sore spot immediately with intentional breathing. I find that cold- hot- cold pack treatment, alternating five minutes each, is the quickest way to stop the inflammation. We start with cold to stop this inflammation from spreading, the hot to increase circulation, and the cold again to seal it off.  While Advil and Tylenol work quickly, they don’t easily come out of the body.  A more natural remedy would be the "Serious Relaxer" herbal tincture made by Boulder's WishGarden. If they have had a muscle problem for awhile, then I may suggest lying on that spot atop “Miracle Balls”, a therapy I learned from my dance teacher.  They are just the right amount of pressure for releasing knots, and only costs $20 on Amazon.  Many dancers also love to apply the herbal based “Deep Blue” ointment, while numerous chiropractors recommend the chemically based “BioFreeze”.  For maintenance, we practice effective breath techniques, use a combination of stretching and strengthening, and add meditation to address any triggers. For chronic issues, helping them to communicate well with their physical therapists and counselors is valuable.  I insist on starting their practice and lesson with basic warmups take away all the variables and focus on basic motions.  Scales are miraculously effective for troubleshooting technical issues and thereby preventing injury. In the end, the magical result is that improving their body use always means a more beautiful tone.  

© Hsing-ay Hsu