Why do professional dancers need massage?

Most of the world's best dance companies have a comprehensive health care team of physios, podiatrists, massage therapists, dietitians, and more.

Even those companies without the full team will still have a massage therapist.

Why is massage so important for professional dancers?

I'm going to tell you why professional dancers need massage.

Why I've been hired to treat The Australian Ballet, Bangarra Dance Theatre, and other productions and performers.

Professional dancers live in a constant state of high load + high skill + high repetition.

Massage gives them something they can't get from stretching or strength work.

1. A nervous system reset.

Dance requires precision, which requires a calm focussed nervous system.

Massage down regulates sympathetic drive, leading to motor control improvement, leading to an increase in technical efficiency.

2. Recovery chemistry.

Soft tissue is always in micro-repair mode from the intensity and duration of physical activity that dancers are required to deliver.

Massage increases the movement of interstitial fluid, clearing inflammatory by-products more quickly so that load tolerance is increased for the next rehearsal.

3. Reduced muscle guarding/protective muscle tone.

Many dancers and athletes have tension in their muscles that is a muscle guarding response. (Remember my email/blog about muscle guarding?).

Massage can reduce this muscle guarding so that dancers can have greater range of movement, freedom and ease of movement.

4. An early warning system

A skilled therapist with a strong communicative relationship with their dancer can recognise subtle changes in the tissues and notice niggles before they turn in to injuries.

This means that potential problems can be addressed early on before they turn into lost training or rehearsal time. 

5. Psychological safety and co-regulation.

Dancers are often in performance mode for most of the week (even during class and rehearsal).

Massage provides a safe environment where the body is not required to perform, encouraging recovery.

Professional dancers use massage to recover faster, reduce protective muscle guarding, support their nervous system, and catch small issues before they become injuries.

If massage is good enough for dancers, it's good enough for you.